Creating a dry riverbed

nicholas spyrou

Will I need a weed cover or a plastic pvc cover to place my pebbles and grit on. Also I would like to place some aquatic plants in the dry riverbed. Maybe buried under the ground with containers. 

Papi Jo

"aquatic plants in a dry riverbed"? What a strange idea! 

Buttercupdays

If his weather is anything like mine, he'll need a plastc cover over his riverbed if he wants it dry!

Fairygirl

Doghouse Riley says:

The first priority for me would be to get the fence fixed.

See original post

 Me too  

Is there a reason you want a dry river bed Nicholas, rather than a more conventional water feature? I'm wondering if the ground is very soggy (although you seem to have a water sprinkler!  )  and it's an easier way of creating a 'pond' type of effect without having the water? 

In any case - yes, you'd need to cover the grass properly  

hogweed

You will need to lift the grass and make a shallow trench. Line it with weed membrane and then lay your gravel/grit/stones on that. Aquatic plants will only live in water so they are out. You could plant rockery plants in small soil pockets..........

nicholas spyrou

That looks beautiful. I am not looking to add water. But placing pockets of aquaic plants by the decking. There is a trench that I have dug up I will post pic.

You are right in saying there needs to be a coming from, going to. 

Rockery from the left corner coming from. Then the aquatic plants coming to the edge of the decking.

Last edited: 12 October 2017 08:37:20

Loxley

Hi Nicholas... as the others have said, aquatic plants need water, and what you seem to be proposing is a 'dry riverbed'. Basically a gravel path, but slightly dished with different sizes of gravel/pebbles and some small boulders, placed 'naturalistically'? You could line with with membrane and place gravel and rocks over (although remember they'll roll off if the sides of the trench aren't gentle enough), and cut holes to plant things that will give the effect of a dry riverbed, without actually being aquatic plants. Ornamental grasses for example.

Fairygirl

You could add a bog garden area to one side, or both sides,  for moisture loving plants.

Plastic lined hole, with a few holes pierced in the plastic to let excess water through, some gravel at the bottom, then your soil on top, and plant it up. The gravel from your river bed would drift over that so that it all looked part of the same thing. 

Dovefromabove

When I think of a 'dry riverbed garden' I think of something along the lines of the Desert Wash at East Ruston http://www.e-ruston-oldvicaragegardens.co.uk/pages/view/575/desert-wash.htm  (although obviously on a smaller scale).

Is that the sort of thing you're thinking of or am I barking up totally the wrong tree? 

Fairygirl

That looks good, and right,  Dove. Ideally, it's plants that like dry conditions that would go with a dry river bed.  

I was thinking Nicholas wanted something that looked 'wet' because of the aquatics. Not sure if I was misunderstanding though. Perfectly possible!  

Hostafan1

A word of caution. Beware a " trench" doesn't become a sump which holds water , rain or ground water.