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Honored Contributor
Posts: 24,105
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Short vinyl fencing—Yard Projects

Ditches are a pain to maintain. All kinds of junk tends to grow in them. Your options to control weeds and growth in them are limited in many cases as the ditches tend to flow into nearby waterways and most of the weed control products are deadly to fish. My local community used to hire high school kids over the summer to clean out the ditches. It wasn't an especially sought after job.

 

You have lots of options. One is to alter the slope of the walls of the ditch making it a gentler slope that's easier to mow and maintain. I watch a YouTuber called Letsdig18 who does that operation on a fairly routine basis. He'll regrade an area so there's a gentle slope to a ditch, pond, etc. instead of a sharper dropoff. That could get messy though if you've got plants/sod already in the area that you want to keep.

 

I would avoid a stone wall along a ditch as if you get a big storm and lots of water moving through the ditch it could erode the soil under the wall and cause the wall to collapse. 

 

I'm not sure whose view you're trying to block. Are you trying to avoid seeing it from your house, or are you trying to avoid having people on the street seeing the ditch? I'm assuming that since you're talking about taking the grass out, you're going to replace it with stone, mulch, groundcover, etc.

 

Ditches are pretty much a wetland, so you could consider making the area a wetlands garden. Weeding and maintenance are still an issue though.

 

You could check into the price of installing a long culvert to replace the ditch. You'll find culverts where a ditch meets a driveway. It's the pipe under the driveway that connects the two ditches on either side of the driveway. A properly sized and installed culvert could then be topped with topsoil and hidden completely. Your yard would just flow to the road in a nice smooth, flat plane. A culvert under a yard that would only experience the weight of people or a lawnmower wouldn't need to be as strong as those used in driveways. Tractor Supply Company sells 20' long 15" diameter plastic culvert pipes for around $250. A 15" diameter culvert would allow a lot of water to move through the culvert. (Local restrictions may make this impossible though.) If the ditch in question is 20-40 feet long, that could be a neat option. A couple of lengths of culvert, a load of topsoil and you've got a smooth flat lawn. If the ditch is 300' long it starts to get a tad pricey.

 

A short vinyl fence would likely have to be custom made as most people want at least a four-foot-tall fence. Since you're trying to block the view, you don't want a picket or open slat type fence. You could stack landscape timbers to hide the view. You could also just bridge the entire ditch with landscape timbers recessed into the ground so they're level with the soil, but that would get pricey and in a really big storm they could all wash away.

 

If you replace the grass with a mulch it pretty much has to be a stone mulch. Wood chips, bark, etc, would more easily wash away in a storm.

 

In a perfect world, I'd go with the culvert pipe solution and make the ditch disappear underground. Ditch? What ditch? Local codes may prevent that though. Ditches tend to be used to handle runoff from the roads where towns don't have storm sewers. A culvert would largely prevent storm runoff along the length of the culvert from going anywhere. They might make you install drains along the culvert to handle the runoff. That would be doable, but add more to the cost and complexity.

 

That's about the best I can come up with in the way of a solution for you. Ditches are a pain to deal with. 

Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,213
Registered: ‎03-30-2014

Re: Short vinyl fencing—Yard Projects

[ Edited ]

Drainage ditches are a feature of life here since the county can't afford to bury that much pipe.  Most are pretty deep and steep, and really near to the roadbed.

 

Before you do anything you need to verify what obligations you have for maintenance.  Do you have to keep it clear and maintain it's bed?  Be careful about that.  You can hire it out to clear/redig.  

If the county is maintaining, they have rules of clearing for your plantings.

 

This can will be determined by your lot line.  Could have street, shoulder, ditch, and then your lawn.  Ditch may not be yours but you have to maintain 🤬

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,341
Registered: ‎04-19-2010

Re: Short vinyl fencing—Yard Projects


@Lilysmom1 wrote:

 We are looking for a solution that would take the grass out of this area and are thinking vinyl fencing might be a good idea.

 

 

 


I am not seeing how a fence will take grass out of an area.  The grass will still grow on both sides of the fence.  ????

 

How about a load of small rocks dumped in the ditch?  It will prevent grass, and will not affect drainage.  


-- pro-aging --


Rochester, New York
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,506
Registered: ‎03-20-2012

Re: Short vinyl fencing—Yard Projects

I have a back hill that borders the main road. It is very steep. The vinyl fencing is nice and does come in many varieties. If you are searching for a solution to not obstruct the view but reduce the maintainence then I would use large stones placed at the bottom. You could fill in with marble chips or gravel and it's done. No weed wacking or mowing.   

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Honored Contributor
Posts: 17,655
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Short vinyl fencing—Yard Projects

[ Edited ]

@AuntG wrote:

@deb5555 you provided some nice solutions. @JustJazzmom  is that type of fencing going to need an occasional power washing? I'd like to put some low fencing on one side of our property but I'm afraid vinyl will discolored, much like resin patio chairs do.


@AuntG  All vinyl eventually fades from the sun hitting it but if your fencing is on a northern exposure, you may get mold or moss growing on it. I removed the moss by using of all things, Clorox Disinfecting Wipes. It was only on a gate and a front railing that faces the house. The side facing the street has no moss on it. 

It might benefit from a gentle powerwashing. 

☼The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. GBShaw☼
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,809
Registered: ‎12-24-2010

Re: Short vinyl fencing—Yard Projects

@gardenman You did a fantastic job explaining to OP the possibilities and pit-falls. 

I had many of your pointers in my head; but only stressed 'maintenance'.  Grass continues to grow even if you can't see it.........other side of fence....and how does that look to people on the street side.

 

You did a great job of explaining.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,958
Registered: ‎07-23-2010

Re: Short vinyl fencing—Yard Projects

I am reading this with topic with a lot of interest. I have a steep slope in front of my house that goes right down to the road (no ditch). I have to mow it by hand. I am now finding it more difficult as I have gotten older so I've been considering a way to reduce the slope. I'm guessing that I'd need to get landscaping help on it and of course there is a gas line that I'd need to do a call before I dig to get a markout.

 

I've considering trying to kill the grass and seeing if I can get ivy to grow there instead but it's about 75 feet to deal with and I don't want to create an area where I will have erosion if I remove the grass.

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,509
Registered: ‎11-08-2020

Re: Short vinyl fencing—Yard Projects

Wow, what fantastic feedback.  I am not going to call out anyone in case I miss someone but thanks to each of you for the comments.  A special thanks for the photos.  I have no photos on my iPad but will check my computer to see if I can post something. I will come back and reply in more detail.  S aka Lilysmom

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 17,655
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Short vinyl fencing—Yard Projects


@GinaV24 wrote:

I am reading this with topic with a lot of interest. I have a steep slope in front of my house that goes right down to the road (no ditch). I have to mow it by hand. I am now finding it more difficult as I have gotten older so I've been considering a way to reduce the slope. I'm guessing that I'd need to get landscaping help on it and of course there is a gas line that I'd need to do a call before I dig to get a markout.

 

I've considering trying to kill the grass and seeing if I can get ivy to grow there instead but it's about 75 feet to deal with and I don't want to create an area where I will have erosion if I remove the grass.

 

Any advice would be appreciated.


Obviously call before you dig,  but you might want to consider terraced landscape. Maybe several terraces, and using maybe pressure treated wood or railroad ties as the front part of each terrace. You could do perennials that bloom at different times of the year, so something is always blooming there at different times of the year. 

This is kinda what I have in mind with the railroad ties but remove the grass. 
16AB6F13-3D13-4FA4-BFD5-BE23B83EAB96.jpeg

☼The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. GBShaw☼
Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,509
Registered: ‎11-08-2020

Re: Short vinyl fencing—Yard Projects

[ Edited ]

BC28CDD4-6D13-47E1-87D8-825132040B54_1_201_a.jpeg

 

@gardenman @JustJazzmom @fthunt @deb5555 @AuntG @Peaches McPhee @Still Raining @Fressa @GinaV24 I have cut this photo down for privacy reasons but you can see that the ditch is pretty steep.  It is worse than it looks in this photo.  There is a circular driveway, the distance between the two driveways being approximately 70', not including pavement.

 

The plan is to remove the lawn in the ditch area.  I had thought about a low vinyl fence with stone lining the ditch.  We had also discussed transitioning the slow as gardenman mentioned to make it easier to mow.  I am not clear in my head what that would look like.  

 

There are Blue Spruce at either end of the lawn, only one visible in this photo.  We normally put Christmas lights on these but they are getting very large.  My experience with these is that, after ten years or so, they don't look great anymore.  I am not adverse to removing them.  There are two Linden trees behind them far enough back that a slope would not affect them.  We took 7 trees out of the front yard this year in an edit after 15 years of living here.  We removed Norway Spruce, local Spruce, birch and Blue Spruce.  We did this work ourselves.  I am not quite sure how this would look but it is a definite possibility.

 

I had not even thought about the buried culvert idea suggested by @gardenman .  Very interesting idea which I will discuss with DH.  The ditches do not accumulate much water but we would definitely need approval from our Transportation and Infrastructure to do this.  I know people in this Department from working with them on local beautification projects.  In spite of this, I am hesitant to go this route because it might start something bigger than my project.  I have one neighbour who has illegally filled in just up the street and I am sure he wouldn't want the attention.

 

Thank you for the youtube reference.  I am going to check that out to see what the slope looks like.  The only material going in the ditch will be stone of some kind, no mulch, no plants.  Not looking for another garden.

 

The colour of the siding on the house is a soft yellow called Vintage Cream.  The metal roof is dark slate gray and the brickwork is a tumbled red mahogany color (that is not the what the colour is but my description).  I give this background because if I were to do vinyl fencing, I would try to use the darker color which is close to the brick color on the house. Easier to keep clean.  I am not sold on this idea as I don't want to create more work than we already have.  Again, the grass would be removed and replaced with some kind of stone.  We live in granite land here in Nova Scotia.  I realize even the stone would take upkeep as weeds grow among them.

 

As I mull this over, the least invasive seems to be the slope.  Not a bad idea as we have a couple of small dozer jobs we could do at the same time.  I just have to get comfortable with what it will look like. 

 

I miss the local contractor who works with us on our community projects.  He had a kidney transplant last year and died of a heart attack just before he was released from hospital.  Only 51 years old, heartbreaking.  His son has done some work for us but he doesn't yet have the touch his father did.

 

Thank you to each one of you.  I hope this helps you see the project in front of us.  Your advice, photos and suggestions are greatly appreciated.  Come back any time if you have a brainstorm idea.  Heart S aka Lilysmom

 

Edited to add that the fence was to establish a low clean line along the street frontage.  I would not do picket, but a solid panel type if that is even available.