Drainage Endeavors

Another warm and sunny day in Sacramento. How could I not feel inspired to meander through the yard and enjoy the fresh air? And I would be remiss in not sharing my newest endeavors and delightful discoveries!




We have a section of our yard that is a lower grade than the rest of the surrounding area. Unfortunately, this means that on the occasion that it actually rains in Sacramento, a swamp forms on the clay-like soil that is native to this area. Aside from re-grading the entire backyard (which would be a HUGE investment of time & money for a place we're only renting), Tim and I were stumped as how to solve this dilemma. It was accentuated when our puppy, Ellie, discovered the joys of rolling in these large mud puddles and tracking her little paws throughout our house. :) She's much more mischievous than she looks.



Recently, I found an ad for free landscaping rocks. Thinking this might be the answer, Tim and I jumped in our little Civic and filled our trunk as much as we dared! Upon arriving, we remembered that we don't own a wheelbarrow. So...when you're poor, you use what you have! We found a discarded grocery cart in our seedy neighborhood and made good use of it! (Of course, we called the number to return the cart once we were done!)



Once all the rocks were in place, it had a vague resemblance to a french drain! I'm sure I'll do some re-arranging to even out the rocks and create a more defined border. We'll have to wait and see if it really does help with the drainage problem, but I'm planning on planting creeping jenny in and amongst the rocks. I think it will add an old, established garden feel, and the roots will help with additional drainage through the soil! Perhaps I should plant a wall climber to hide some of those unsightly cords....







Today is wonderfully warm here, and I just had to share these glorious beauties I found hiding in the corners of my awakening garden!














Climbing Geranium

Red Geranium

I believe these are Periwinkles