Tips or Ideas for Challenging Yard w/ Drainage Ditch?

I have been living in my current home for a few years now, and I still have not figured out what to do with my "challenging" backyard. The entire yard is a third of an acre, and the back third of that is split through the middle by a drainage ditch that is usually empty, but as you can see in one of the pictures can sometimes get pretty high with water in the spring. The pictures are not very helpful, but you can kind of see the line where we usually stop mowing, and the yard extends up to the neighbor's fence on the other side of the ditch. When it rains in the summer, water sits in the low part and we can't get the mower across so most of the time we (and most of the other neighbors) leave the grass to grow until the city comes and mows it in July and late August. The ditch itself (about 8 feet across) is protected wetland and so we cannot build a fence (not that we would want to...it would be a little awkward looking and would be underwater at some point during the year) or have any landscaping in that section. Since it is protected wetland the city is okay with us not mowing it, but one neighbor next to me mows their yard so mine looks a little unkempt in comparison.

I've been considering planting wildflowers or trees on the other side but can't figure out what the best approach would be. Does anyone have suggestions or landscaping ideas? Has anyone dealt with this or a similar type of ditch running through their yard? I would greatly appreciate any suggestions!

absinthe27, the pictures show your back yard an attractive shade of green. Is it like that most or all of the year? What happens to the grass during the coldest days of winter?

When the ditch is full it looks like a peaceful rivulet, and when the ditch is empty it is still filled with vegetation and blends with the rest of the land. Could you clarify what part of the yard is government-protected? Is the entire area from the ditch to the neighbor's fence protected? How many feet from the ditch towards your home is the protected space?

I'm asking these questions because I want to know how much land you have with no government limitations on what to do with it. I think you could make a nice garden around the cement porch area with the greenery in the background. We live next to a swamp which I think is protected, but it's not part of our property.

DoGooder

This message was edited Sep 8, 2012 4:49 AM

What's your goal? To hide the creek and the messy tall grass on the other side from your view or just your neighbor's view? Can't beat arbor vitae for screening - I like Emeralds because they maintain a very neat attitude and don't get ridiculously tall. The year-round darker green is nice too. Installed along the fenceline (and if there's a 'front'), as well as your side of the ditch, you and your neighbors are spared the view until the city gets around to mowing.

Not sure how a drainage ditch can be considered protected wetland. Also, if it's proteceted, why do they allow mowing?

Anyway, will they let you build a foot bridge over it? That would allow easy access to the other side and can look really nice when done correctly.

Thank you for responding and making suggestions!

DoGooder: The protected part is pretty much exactly the width of the water in the picture that shows the ditch full (about 8 to 10 feet). This little protected strip is about 40 feet away from the house, about 35 feet from the neighbor's fence.The grass itself does usually look okay and is pretty green throughout summer with the exception of this year since it has been so dry here. The city usually mows the area at the end of August, so it is pretty short in the winter and is usually covered with several feet of snow. I know that it is better for the environment to leave the grass long and natural, but I don't know if this is rude to the neighbors behind us since the tall grass is directly up against their chain link fence.

davidsl88: My goal is basically just to have the area look nice and be beneficial to the environment while not being a bother to the people behind it who have a fenceline that edges it. I really like the suggestion of the arbor vitae. We currently have no privacy at all in the backyard, but a line of these trees near the neighbor's fence with mulch underneath could get the grass away from their fence and also give a little bit of privacy.

JCalhoun: I have no idea why or how this is considered "protected wetland", but when I first moved in there were little wooden signs every 25 feet indicating the area as such. The footbridge is an excellent idea, and if the city would allow it I would definitely be interested in putting one in to allow access to the other side. I think I should probably go to city hall and talk to someone about what my restrictions are.

absinthe27, I agree it would be best to talk to a government representative to find out all the restrictions and get it on paper if possible. However, since you have access to the entire yard except the rivulet then you have many options. If you want to plant wildflowers I suggest visiting Prairie Moon Nursery on the web, because they're the best wildflower nursery as far as I know. At their plant finder page just type in your requirements and climate and the page will give you a list of appropriate plants:

http://www.prairiemoon.com/choosing.php?fclassid=1

A big tree would look so beautiful in the center of your backyard in front of the neighbor's fence, but it would take years to grow. It's really a matter of personal taste. I would replace the grass from the house to the ditch with mulch and create a structured garden with pathways and many evergreen shrubs to provide color in winter. I think a row of lilacs along the neighbor's fence would look great and there would be a show of color every spring.

DoGooder