Here are some photos showing my dry creek project. You can see that this is the working side of the backyard where my compost bins live. I started with the weed block but have decided to remove it and line my creek bed with moss instead. I only have a couple of feet done in these photos but you can see how it will look and you can see how much farther I have to go to reach the rock basin at the back left of this work area. (Actually part of the alleyway.) From there it flows through the alleyways to the next street. We have had some good rains from Tropical Storm Bill so today the ground is soft which makes digging much easier. I also think I have the perfect plant for some of this. I have lots of rain lilies and they seem to do well in both dry and wet conditions.

Moss does like dampness but I'm not sure how it will fare when your creek is full. If it dries out then floods the moss may just float away. But I hope that works for you.

My first thought was Louisiana Iris, and I think they will do great for you there. They like wet feet, can grow in water or in soil and they bloom when they have been wet and then dry out. They also form very sturdy mats of rhizomes and roots that should help hold the soil along the sides of your creek bed.

Update: The dry creek bed is completed. It will take some time before the rain lilies get established and begin to bloom when it rains. I'm sure the wild violets will find their way to line the edges. I plan to order some Louisiana Iris when I can make up my mind which color to order. They only ship in the fall so it will be some time before my plain dry creek bed gets decorated properly. We have had several heavy rains and the water is being diverted very well. My husband has finally succeeded in getting grass to grow now that his seed doesn't get washed away anymore.

It looks really great, and will make a nice pathway when it's dry, too. Nice job.

I know this may be a delicate question to ask, but . . . where does the water go when it leaves your property? From your picture, it looks like it's flowing right towards your neighbor's house!

At the end of the dry creek bed at my side back corner is a dry pool bed that holds the water until it flows down hill to the left - going across the back of our backyard. The back eight feet of both my backyard and this back side yard are actually "city alleyway". Our lot and our back neighbor's lot meet at the low point of this alley so their rain water also flows under their fence to the alley in my back yard. Most properties have fences either enclosing it or shutting it out. The "alley" is where the water runs from one yard to the next until it reaches the next crossing street where the drain is. Because this is city property, most people do not plant much in this part of their yard although I have been planting sedum and other plants that absorb the excess water, slow erosion and survive during dry periods.

The water from my neighbors to the right (up slope) runs into my yard from under their fence all along my side back yard but mostly across the alley way and from the front side yards- which naturally slope towards my back gate and side yard. All the homes are built up a bit and the yards slope down towards the street and towards the alleyway. Each lot has a higher side (my right) and a lower side (my left).

If I had unlimited funds and was a few decades younger, I would install French drains to divert the rain water to the front street where city curb drains are located.

When you mentioned a French drain it reminded me of a previous thread; you may find some suggestions here:
The thread "Water / erosion issues" in Ask a Question forum

dyzzypyxxy said:It looks really great, and will make a nice pathway when it's dry, too. Nice job.