a wet idea: west yard

west yard ~ 11JL18

While living on the site, working the yard, and planning changes to the property, the idea of a wet garden presented itself:

Because they grow in wet areas, rushes and sedges are plants usually seen from a distance or from a canoe or boat. Inclusion of indigenous material that grows in such conditions fit with the concept of a native planting. While these could be left to the pond or pond edges, the idea of being able to walk through a stand of bulrushes and other wetland plants held considerable appeal.

The southwest corner — on the west side of the driveway, inside of the west dike — was a natural spot for this wetland. Hence, the west yard is being developed as a sedge meadow.

west yard ~ 11AU29

west yard ~ 11AU30

babbling brook ~ 11JL04

west yard ~ irrigation

The west yard also contains an element which we’ve dubbed the “babbling brook”. The brook starts beside the intersection of driveway and dike and flows down where the dike swells to meet the slope of the driveway. Water from the brook keeps the sedge meadow wet — when rain doesn’t. The drawing to the left shows the course of the water.

The water drains through a winding ditch into a small reservoir beside the garage which, in turn, drains into the nursery behind the garage. The ditch is covered by bridges where it intersects two paths. There are small removable dams just before each bridge which serve to retain water in the west yard. We’ve named the reservoir “the dot” and have planted it with a number of grasses, forbs, sedges, and rushes. It is filling in nicely.

reservoir, bridges ~ 08OC01

west yard, dot ~ 11JL09

The photo below shows the ditches before the region was planted.

west yard ~ 07JN02

snow melt

west yard ~ 08MR09

Addition of the dike changed the collection of snow and the dissipation of snow melt and rain. The entire yard, over which snow mostly blew away and which previously readily drained to the highway ditch, now collects a lot of snow and/or water. Each spring the west yard fills with water. When the shallow ditches under the bridges beside the garage thaw the water flows into the nursery through the back yard and into the east yard. This latter region then drains through the south dike, by way of a large culvert, into the highway ditch.

west yard ~ 08AP15

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west yard ~ species table | west yard ~ planting | west yard ~ grading