My backyard rain garden project went sideways after a storm last June

I live in Portland and spent three weekends digging a rain garden to catch runoff from my roof. Then a huge storm hit and it overflowed into my neighbor's yard within 20 minutes. The soil I used was too clay-heavy and couldn't drain fast enough. I had to rip it all out, mix in compost and sand, and re-grade the whole thing. Took another two weekends and $85 in extra materials. Has anyone else had rain gardens fail on them and what did you do to fix the drainage?

2 comments

2 Comments

lindag335d ago

Dig out a bigger basin than you think you need. I used a french drain feeding into a dry well after my first attempt turned my yard into a muddy lake. The extra digging is way better than redoing it twice like you already dealt with.

robin6285d ago

Read that dry wells need a geotextile sock or they clog fast, @lindag33.