Planting a Drainage Ditch

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HoustonBoston Houston, TX Nov 16, 2016

I've recently moved into a new home in a neighborhood with culverts and drainage ditches (Houston, TX). They're deep and steep enough that mowing is a non option. And this is Houston, which means they'll alternate between being full of flood water, and drying all the way out.

Any suggestions for low maintenance plants or ground cover to put in them?

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Cville_Gardener Clarksville, TN(Zone 7a) Nov 17, 2016

Do you know what your USDA Hardiness Zone is?

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HoustonBoston Houston, TX Nov 17, 2016

Zone 9A

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kittriana Magnolia, TX(Zone 9a) Jan 02, 2017

We use a native plant, but anything you plant will take over and fill the ditch. Not a good thing. Perhaps a liriope would not grow too tall...

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Pistil Lake Stevens, WA(Zone 8a) Jan 03, 2017

It sounds like an almost impossible gardening dilemma! I would walk around more established neighborhoods. Find what is surviving in these ditches, and plant that. This is clearly not a situation where you can hold out for something particularly beautiful. You just need survival!
Here are some snapshots I took in a mall parking lot in Seattle, I thought they did a very nice job with the drainage ditch! I don't know what the plant is.

Thumbnail by Pistil Thumbnail by Pistil Thumbnail by Pistil
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GoPlantGo orangeville, Canada Jan 03, 2017

Looks kind of like a Japanese Forest Grass (Variegated). Ours are tolerant of dry conditions, but we grow them in part shade. Not sure if this is it though.

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kittriana Magnolia, TX(Zone 9a) Jan 04, 2017

In Houston, there are native crinums that dont get as showy as others. Amaryllis, short grasses like liriope, walking iris also used, but gets tall and like showier crinums keeps moving. Most folks try to widen their ditches and mow to keep them cleaned out for drainage when the gullywashers show up and fill them.

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Handroanthus Lynnwood, WA Mar 01, 2017

Probably Acorus gramineus Ogon

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kittriana Magnolia, TX(Zone 9a) Mar 02, 2017

There is also a short Mexican petunia that survives Houston, lorapetulums if you want bushes, nut you didn't show us your particular ditch problem. A crinums roots interlock with new bulbs like fingers, lay over and put new roots out til there is a solid wall to fight the sand from erosion.

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