We went the swale route too, though I confess ours wasn't quite as picturesque—more of a muddy trench at first. But after adding some stones and ferns, it's now charmingly rustic. Plus, no more soggy shoes tracking through the kitchen...worth it!
We did something similar, but instead of ferns, we planted native grasses and wildflowers along the edges—now it's more like a mini wildlife habitat. Definitely recommend thinking beyond just drainage...you might be surprised how much life a simple swale can attract.
We did something similar a couple years back when we drained our above-ground pool. Didn't really plan it out as nicely as you did, but we ended up planting some hardy groundcovers and native shrubs around the swale. Honestly, I was just trying to keep the yard from turning into a muddy mess, but now we've got butterflies and even hummingbirds showing up regularly. Funny how something practical ends up becoming a little wildlife spot...definitely worth the minimal extra effort.
"Funny how something practical ends up becoming a little wildlife spot...definitely worth the minimal extra effort."
Ha, isn't that always how it goes? Reminds me of when we had to dig up part of our yard for some plumbing repairs (old houses, gotta love 'em...). I just tossed down a wildflower seed mix to cover the dirt temporarily, and now it's the prettiest patch in the whole garden. Did you pick specific plants to attract hummingbirds, or was it just luck?
"Did you pick specific plants to attract hummingbirds, or was it just luck?"
Mostly luck here too... I had some leftover bee balm and salvia seeds from another project, tossed them in without much thought, and now the hummingbirds practically own that corner of the yard. Funny how the stuff we barely plan ends up looking better than the carefully designed areas. Maybe nature's trying to tell us something about overthinking things, huh?
