How to Install a Drainage Swale

Mark a course for the drainage swale. Begin at the far end of your yard and sink garden stakes every 6 feet into the areas where puddles remain for an hour after heavy rain. The path for the swale should be as straight and direct as possible.

Dig a channel for the swale with a curved shovel that is 6 feet wide and 4 feet deep. Transfer the removed soil to low-lying areas in your yard.

Pour 12 inches of gravel into the channel. Use a garden rake to spread the gravel evenly.

Set 6-inch drainage tile on the gravel from the beginning of the channel to the drainage outlet. Drainage tiles are perforated plastic tubing used to carry away water.

Add another 12 inches of gravel over the drain pipe.

Mix equal parts sand and dirt in a wheelbarrow. Dump 12 inches of the mixture into the channel. Use a rake to create a U-shaped dip with the sides sloped at a 10-degree to 15-degree angle.

Seed the exposed sand and dirt with water-tolerant grass. Rye grass and Bermuda grass are examples of flood-tolerant options. Maintain the grass at a height of at least 3 inches to help slow the flow of water.

Plant hardy perennials and ferns that tolerate moist soil down the middle and sides of the swale. Cattail, marsh marigold and royal fern absorb water and reduce erosion.

Add water-loving trees like willows and river birches along the top sides of the swale to absorb large quantities of water. Plant them several feet back to give the roots room to spread out.