Curious if anyone has turned the first 8 feet of a sloped front yard into a shallow rain garden with a 3-inch curb cut to capture street runoff… I’m piloting one this spring with native sedges, a permeable stepping-stone path, and a biochar-amended basin to cut irrigation about 40% and keep stormwater on site — would love real-world maintenance tips after the first season.
On my sloped front strip, the biggest win was a small rock “forebay” just inside the 3-inch curb cut — captures the “first flush” and makes cleanouts a quick scoop after storms (like a silt trap with training wheels)… If the biochar makes sedges yellow early, side-dress with a thin compost layer and use 1–2" of 3/8" gravel near the stepping stones so mulch doesn’t float. Handy reference: Green Stormwater Infrastructure - Utilities | seattle.gov.
In the ‘first 8 feet’, top-dress that biochar-amended basin with 1/4-inch gravel; less float and splash, don’t bury sedge crowns.