We have a swale in the backyard that's about 3 feet deep by 10 feet wide. It only carries water during rainstorms and the water drains pretty quickly. It drains 3 yards ( I have no idea why they made it so large, it could drain acres) ours and 2 neighbors'. Grass grows in it now but the weeds, creeping charlie, stilt grass, oxalis, clover, sedge, crab etc. are taking over. It seems to be a trap for all the weed seeds. We have to keep it clear and fairly short so the water will run through it.

So, my wife suggested we plant it in ivy. Our dog has a run in the swale so it will have to withstand some foot traffic.

Will the ivy survive the occasional drenching and our dog running through it? Is there any other ground cover that can take this kind of abuse? We also thought of some kind of juniper but I don't know if this is feasible.

Thanks for any response.