My city's big storm last month made me rethink my whole yard

I live in Portland, and we had that huge rainstorm in early April that flooded a lot of streets. My whole backyard turned into a muddy pond because the water had nowhere to go. A neighbor who works with the city's green infrastructure program saw it and told me my compacted lawn and lack of plants were part of the problem. She explained how replacing even a small patch with native plants or a rain garden can help soak up a ton of water and stop it from overwhelming the drains. It clicked for me that my personal space is connected to the bigger issue. I've started digging up a 10x10 foot section to plant some Oregon grape and ferns. Has anyone else done a small yard project like this after a weather event? I'm looking for plant ideas that can handle both our dry summers and our wet winters.

3 comments

3 Comments

sagew501mo ago

Tore out a whole strip of my sad Seattle lawn after a basement flood last fall. Planted red flowering currant and sword ferns on a slight slope, and they drank up this winter's rain like crazy. The real winner was adding some kinnikinnick as a ground cover, it spreads fast and its roots hold the soil together. Just make sure you really loosen up that dirt deep down before you plant anything, or the water will just run right off.

evac891mo ago

Oh man, that reminds me of my buddy who had a total swamp zone by his driveway. He went hard on salal and deer ferns, and the change was wild. His place stopped looking like a mud pit after just one seriously wet season.

simon_coleman1mo ago

Yeah, that kinnikinnick is a beast for holding things together... I stuck some between some bigger stones on a soggy path and it just locked everything in place. The key is getting it started in a decent patch of soil, then it just goes. Makes everything look way more solid, way faster than I thought it would.