Tried the dry well route too—ended up with a soggy pit that never really dried out, just like you said. What finally worked for me was digging a shallow trench lined with river rock, then planting some switchgrass along the sides. It’s not the prettiest thing in winter, but it handles overflow way better than I expected. Flexible drain pipe is handy, but yeah, the city here gets cranky if you dump water into the street. Sometimes it’s just about finding what annoys you the least...
That sounds a lot like what I ended up doing after my first few attempts failed. I tried a dry well too—just turned into a mosquito breeding ground and a muddy mess. The trench with river rock has been the only thing that keeps my backyard from turning into a swamp every spring. I added some native sedges along the edge, which look rough in January but bounce back fast. The city here is strict about runoff too, so I get it... Sometimes it’s just about picking your battles and living with a little mess.
Sometimes it’s just about picking your battles and living with a little mess.
That’s the truth. I tried the dry well thing too—total mosquito hotel. The trench with river rock is what finally worked for me, though it’s not exactly pretty in February. Native grasses help a bit, but yeah, it’s never perfect. At this point, I just cross my fingers every spring and hope the city inspector skips my street.
I hear you on the mosquito hotel—my first attempt at a dry well basically turned into a breeding ground too. I ended up running a flex pipe out to the alley behind my fence, which isn’t exactly up to code but it keeps the yard from turning into a swamp. Every spring I debate redoing it, but honestly, as long as the grass isn’t floating away I call it a win. River rock trenches look rough in winter but they do the job.
River rock trenches look rough in winter but they do the job.
- Tried the river rock trench route myself—visually, not my favorite, but it’s practical.
- I once designed a backyard where we disguised the trench with low grasses and stepping stones. It helped soften the look, especially off-season.
- Flex pipe to the alley is clever, though I’d worry about erosion or shifting over time.
- For my own place, I ended up using a combination: shallow trench lined with gravel, then topped with pavers. Not perfect, but it keeps things tidy and less swampy.
- Honestly, as long as you’re not dealing with standing water or mosquitoes, it’s probably good enough.
