Drainage Project Finished + Back Corner Backyard Plan

The drainage project is DONE! And even better... it's WORKING. After it rains, the way back isn't nearly as soggy as it used to be. There is no standing water. And even if the ground is a little squishy after a lot of rain, after 24 hours it DRAINS AWAY and is dry again. Even our neighbors are experiencing drier backyards down the slope because we are directing the water underground now via the 4 trenches and dry wells. It's working!!! A dry backyard is a BEAUTIFUL thing. 

I wish I had something to show for all that work. Something better than saying, "at least THIS isn't happening anymore"... (as posted back in April)

This is what the trenches looked like mid-process - full of water - before the dry wells were dug out and the 4th trench put in. Water was flowing into them, but then it had nowhere to go. 

Now that it's done... sadly all we have to show for it now is a lot of dirt that needs reseeding and a back garden that needs some serious work to get into better shape. But having it dry back here gives us 1/3 of our backyard back and that's HUGE. And of course we have a plan for it. Most of it will be grass for the boys to play on - kick soccer balls and such. But we do want to neaten up/clean up along the fences with more/better plantings and most importantly - address the back corner garden that is more of a mess than ever. 

The drainage project has already transitioned right into the back garden since most of it was already excavated in the chaos of the third trench and dry well. This area has been the bane of my gardening existence for years - it's been a dumping ground. Dumping back there DID fill it in (anything too big for the composter just went into the "pit" of mud)... what was once almost a pond of stagnant water is now just weed-filled. 

In the winter this area really looks the worst, when the frost has nipped all the weeds and plants that hide the mess in here. In the summer at least all the green blurs together. But it's not pretty. Nor a good use of the space. And it's 16' x 22' which is a pretty big area to just leave a mess. 

Post dry well and trench chaos:

So here's the official layout plan for the new garden, sort of drawn to scale. (The plants aren't to scale but the pavers, paths, composters, wood pile, etc. are. I drew this in Adobe Illustrator in a rush, so it's not pretty but it's efficient.)

Paths! A bigger composter! Moving the woodpile! Hiding ugly things with a trellis!

We want to reuse what we already have on hand already as much as possible - including the pavers for the low retaining wall and pathways. We decided to do an L shaped pathway to the composter and wood pile that would make it easier to put things in the composter and access this area - especially with a wheelbarrow. It's my hope that the Japanese willow shrubs and the willow tree (which I plan on pruning annually to help keep the size manageable) will help suck up any remaining water. The rest of the flowers back here are shade-friendly or already growing back here. A big trellis attached to the big double composter will support the Virginia creeper growing back here and help hide the ugly parts.

Mike is doing the pathways first - leveling them out after the drainage project, putting down weed blocking fabric and then the pavers and pea gravel. We debated what to use here between pavers. Originally we were thinking grass but mowing back here could be difficult. Creeping thyme might not like the lack of light. We also wanted to suppress the weeds. Pea gravel won when Mike brought up the water issue as well - after a lot of rain, the only thing that will prevent muddy pathways is pea gravel like in the garden. 

We also want to use plants we already have. I have to move the GIANT hostas in the side yard, there are 4 of them so I'll be able to break those up into AT LEAST 16 new ones. I need to break up some astilbe too that can be moved back here. Then there are the plants we have back here and some new things I picked up at the discount garden center down in South Jersey to fill things out - they've been sitting in pots under the pergola for a few weeks now and need to be planted. 

What we are have on hand:

• 16x16" pavers from our neighbor to use as stepping stones on the path
• A few old retaining wall pavers from our neighbor (enough to build a low central wall in front)
• Our existing composter made from pallets, plus 2 more pallets in our garage to make a double composter for all our yard waste
• The wood rack for firewood and a base for it (it's elsewhere in the yard and NEEDS to move)
• Gray vinyl lattice in huge pieces to will hide the ugly composter (and have vines grow up it)

What we have to buy:

• Weed blocking fabric for under the paths (there's SO many weeds back here)
• Pea gravel for the pathways (but we also needed more for the drainage project so we rolled this into one purchase)
• Brick sized gray pavers to line the pathways and keep the stone in place

Plants we have:

• Hostas - we have 4 huge hostas that have to be moved from the side yard. These can be split into 16+ pieces, plus another 6 living back here 
• Astilbe (2-4, if needed as filler)
• A boxwood shrub that's not doing well in the front yard and is ugly, so I'm going to replace it with something healthy and this can go back here instead.
• The yellow water irises that are already planted back here (and there's a lot of them)
• Butterfly weed (as seeds)
• Virginia creeper for the trellis hiding the composters 
• Creeping thyme (from the garden, I had to cut it back because it was so big)

Plants to buy:

• A willow tree to help soak up the water back here
• Milkweed seeds (supports butterflies, doesn't mind water, tall to hide chainlink fence)
• Ostrich Ferns (3) (shade loving)
• Woodruff (3) (shade tolerant)
• Lime verigated hosta (shade tolerant, to add some interest)
• New Moon (birthday treat, water and shade loving spring flower)

The plan of course is only an approximation of where the plantings will go. The most important pieces are the willow shrubs and tree, since those will absorb water and make the way back water situation all the better. 

I'm really excited to have this done and get rid of the last big eyesore of our backyard. Since it's been so long since I last posted (whoops, time is irrelevant in the quarantine), we are actually in the middle of working on this now. But hopefully I can get my act together enough to share the finished product in a timely manner. It's going well and I'm so excited for the finished product!