I am new at this

[mrmaher]

I have moved into my first house with an actual backyard so now I want to do some yard work to the backyard and front. my problem is that the back gets a lot of water when it rains cause it is on a slope. I was wondering if any one knew or if their was such a thing as a plant or ground cover that would drink up most of the water and help make the yard look nice? or if their was any other solution to this problem? Thank you for your help.

[Newt]

Hi Mrmaher,

Congratulations on your new home! Sorry to hear about your water problems. We need more information in order to try and help with any recommendations.

Does the yard slope towards the house or away?
How long does the water sit in the yard?
How much of the yard is covered in water?
What state and hardiness zone do you live in?
What are the sun conditions?

I'm guessing that you will need to solve the drainage problems before you can plant. If that is the case, we can give you sites to look at for some help. For your hardiness zone, look here.

http://www.gardenweb.com/zones/zip.cgi

Do get back to us,
Newt

[mrmaher]

The yard slopes away from the house its the back part of the yard that I have the water problem with. Hmmm as for how long usually just a couple of days until it dries up. Its about 1/3 or less of the back yard. I live in indiana as for the hardiness zone i have no clue. Its a lil sunny back their not a lot though. The grass grows and we get mushrooms back their. i don't know if the mushrooms help any with how much sun light is back their but I figured they grow back their because of the shadiness. Sorry if some of this sounds real immature and all but I'm only 19 so I don't know much about gardening but I do want to learn and to make a nice yard for myself.

I did a search and if I am correct it is zone 5 for me.
I appreciate all the help you guys can give me. I plan to take some pictures and put up a website to help give more of an ideal of what I am working with. Also its for me to keep track of whats been done and to share.

Thank you.

[Newt]

It sounds to me that you need to address the drainage problem, as water sitting for 2 days after a heavy rain is more like a bog. The water will need somewhere to drain off to. Take a look at these sites to see if they are helpful.

http://www.gardenadvice.co.uk/howto/...d/frenchdrain/
http://www.askthebuilder.com/175_Dry...ch_Drain.shtml
http://www.michaelholigan.com/depart...GNT9PBV4N9512#
http://www.cuyahogaswcd.org/yard_drainage.htm

Even though you say you are an inexperienced gardener, you already realize the need for the right plant for the right conditions. That is often one of the first things new gardeners learn the hard way.

One of the first things I tell a new gardener is to pay attention to the soil, as that will be what supports healthy plant growth and healthy plants can more easily fight off insects and diseases. So, adding 3" of compost to each planting bed and mixing it in will be helpful. Putting a 3" layer of mulch will help to maintain even soil temperatures, hold in moisture and help to keep weeds at bay.

Knowing your plant hardiness zone of 5 will also be helpful in choosing plants that will survive your winters. Something else that will be helpful for you in selecting plants is to know the different sun conditions.
Full sun is 6 hours or more of sun.
Part sun is 4 to 6 hours of sun.
Part shade is 2 to 4 hours of sun.
Shade is 2 hours or less of sun.

You might want to add your state and hardiness zone to your profile if you will be having more questions. This will make it easier for us to help. If you look to the left of this post, you will see my state and zone.


If after looking at the drainage sites, you feel that it just isn't possible to do that, and still want plant suggestions, just let me know and I'll get you some.

Hope this helps,
Newt