Honestly, hearing you say compost made a difference is encouraging. I’ve been debating whether it’s worth the effort or if I’m just throwing money at sand. Native groundcovers sound promising too—can’t believe how much time I’ve wasted reseeding patchy grass. The rain garden bit made me laugh... I had the same “dry hole” experience last fall. At least your yard isn’t all brown anymore, that’s progress in my book.
Honestly, I get where you’re coming from—dumping money into soil amendments felt like a gamble to me too. But after a couple seasons of mixing in compost (the cheap bagged stuff, nothing fancy), I actually started seeing fewer bare patches. Native groundcovers are a game changer if you’re tired of reseeding. I tried creeping thyme in one spot and it’s way less maintenance than grass. The rain garden thing... yeah, mine looked more like a shallow puddle for months, but at least it’s not just dead turf now. Sometimes progress is just less brown, right?
Creeping thyme is such a solid choice—smells good too when you walk on it. I’ve been tempted to try some clover for the same reason, just less fuss than grass. Did you have any drainage issues with the rain garden, or was it just slow to fill in? I keep thinking about adding one but worry it’ll just be a mud pit for half the year...
Rain gardens do get a bad rap for turning into mud pits, but in my experience, if you get the soil mix and grading right, they actually drain faster than you'd expect. The key's making sure you have enough sand and compost blended in—heavy clay is what really causes the soggy mess. I get why clover's appealing for low-maintenance, but it doesn't do much for runoff. If you're on a truly flat lot, even a shallow swale with native grasses might handle water better than a traditional rain garden. Sometimes it's more about managing expectations than the plants themselves...
If you're on a truly flat lot, even a shallow swale with native grasses might handle water better than a traditional rain garden.
Interesting point about swales—I've tried both on a couple of projects, and honestly, the swale worked better on one site but not the other. The trickiest part for me has always been getting the grading subtle enough that water actually moves without creating a trip hazard or making mowing a pain. Sometimes, even with the right soil mix, rain gardens on flat ground just don't drain as fast as you'd hope, especially after a big storm. I do think plant choice matters more than we give it credit for, though—deep-rooted natives can really help break up compacted soil over time. Maybe it's a mix of both approaches that works best?
