Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
peachymomo_gw

Dry Creek is done!

peachymomo
10 years ago

The grading and rock placement at least, I'm going to wait until October to start planting. I want a naturalistic garden with mostly natives, the beginning of the creek and the open spaces in the cobbles will be planted with rushes to break up the rock. I love the way it looks, so much better than the way is was before.

{{gwi:555984}}

{{gwi:555985}}

{{gwi:555986}}

{{gwi:555987}}

{{gwi:555988}}

{{gwi:555989}}

Thanks for looking!

Comments (13)

  • wcgypsy
    10 years ago

    Oh, lucky you! Very nice indeed. Isn't it wonderful to have all of these projects to work on?

  • socks
    10 years ago

    That's just wonderful! (And a lot of work too!) Keep the pictures coming a you move through the project.

  • nil13
    10 years ago

    Just a small suggestion, the boulders in the 2nd pic look a little too evenly spaced for my taste and boulders are usually found on the inside of the curve in nature. I would move one or two to the other side of the creek bed. Looks good other than that little quibble.

  • peachymomo
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks everyone, it's very satisfying to improve the yard.

    According to my landscape architect the boulders are placed the way they should be; 'rocky bank' on one side and 'shallow shore' on the other. I'll be planting some red stem dogwoods along the shallow side to mimic what you would see in a natural setting, as well as other riparian plants along and inside the creek. Striking a balance between enough plants without too many will be a challenge, but one I'm looking forward to taking on.

  • hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
    10 years ago

    Very lovely, peachy!! Isn't it SO good to have a big project done? This looks like your anchor project, and now you can start planting stuff around the creek? Can't wait for more photos!

    Patty S.

  • hosenemesis
    10 years ago

    Just beautiful! That is a HUGE project, and it will make such a difference in your yard. I put one in my tiny front yard to force the water away from the house, and it has worked wonderfully all of these years. You will be so glad you did it.

    I can't wait to see it all planted- it looks so lovely now, though, you really don't need many plants. Bigger shrubby things along the fence, perhaps?

    What a transformation, from back when you were battling blackberries!
    Renee

  • emmarene9
    10 years ago

    I also look forward to your planting. Did I see an island in your bed?

  • hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
    10 years ago

    Looks great! Another decade and you'll start to feel like it's getting to where you want it to be. :^)

  • nil13
    10 years ago

    well, your landscape architect is right about the rocky shore on one side and the shallow bit on the other. They just look to this landscape architect to be on the wrong side. i don't know your particular LA but I have spent too many hours educating landscape architecture students that have never been to a national forest let alone gone on expedition hikes or canoe expeditions to automatically trust their concepts of nature. I'm sure sonewhere there is a creek that has that condition, but as you can see from the link erosion tends to work the other way. Scroll down until you see the windy river diagram.

    Here is a link that might be useful: erosion

  • nil13
    10 years ago

    I will say that where you have the rocks on the riht of pic 4 looks fine because they are in the higher slope and thus look like they have been exposed by running water. It's just the row of rocks in pic 2 that looks like someone placed them there very specifically to control erosion as opposed to a natural erosive process that is bugging my eye.

  • hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
    10 years ago

    Cool link, nil, thanks!

  • kittymoonbeam
    10 years ago

    I saw a dry creek like this that had a few places where some heavy pond liner material was used so water collected in tiny pools after a rain for butterflies and birds.

    Yours looks very relaxing. Congratulations on a lovely design

  • Lars
    10 years ago

    To me, the boulders look like glacial erratics, and so they could have been left there by nature. There is nothing to suggest that they were put there by erosion, except by being dropped into place. I do not think the point here was to simulate erosion, but instead to punctuate the stream. I may have done it differently, but it is lovely the way it is. The rocks could have been put into place by prehistoric peoples, which is a concept that I especially like.