Dry creeks add a certain amount of mystery to any landscape. Onlookers must wonder: Is this for water or purely aesthetic?

The answer is both.

Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger tinkers with stones in her recently installed dry creek bed. The faux stream adds beauty to Praeger's yard but also solves a drainage problem.

A dry creek — typically created with rocks and boulders to emulate the winding path of a natural stream — used as a decorative addition to the garden is a great way to steer the eye to what you want the viewer to notice: a sculpture, a bridge, a seating area or a grouping of plants.

But dry creeks also can be extremely functional when used to direct excess water that pools in yards or solve pesky drainage problems. Although dry creeks are largely ornamental, they can be quite serviceable during heavy rains when they gurgle to life as an actual stream.

Dry creeks intended to solve a drainage problem should, of course, begin at the source of the water run-off, such as under a gutter or on a slope. But if you’re installing a dry creek for purely aesthetic purposes, start from behind a big boulder or plant. Hiding the starting point creates an illusion and makes viewers use their imaginations.

The good news is that once a dry creek is properly incorporated into the landscape, little upkeep is required.

Water’s Edge, 847 Ind., has a dry creek. Its sole function is to bring viewing pleasure to the garden landscape.

Owner Susan Davis says she wanted to show off the business’s granite bridge.

“By adding a dry creek, we achieved that,” she says. “And it brings a great interest for pedestrians and people driving by.”

A dry creek bed near Peterson Road and Kasold Drive is adorned with trees and rocks.

The creek begins behind a planting and meanders under the bridge. It is created with black, smooth river rock.

“Gardens are always evolving,” Davis says. “They are never really done, and introducing a hardscape is fun architecturally. It is always there, where as the plants die or are removed and shuffled around. Plus it gives the garden the feel of water without all of the upkeep that water gardens require.”

Whether your creek is for steering water or just an artistic hardscape feature, remember that streams meander and never flow in a straight line. Creeks also tend to be wider than they are deep in nature; and so should your handmade creek. This is great news because it means less digging.

A hint if you’ll be using the creek for directing water: Look at how the water naturally flows through the landscape the next time it rains. It’s always best to work with the water than fight it. But you can maneuver the water anywhere you wish, such as helping water the lawn, fill a pond or aid in watering a flower bed.

Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger and her husband, Mark, have integrated a dry creek into their property to help with a drainage problem. Thanks to the assistance of landscapers Mary Olson and George Osborn, the Praeger’s water woes are a distant memory.

A bridge spans this dry creek bed at the home of Wilfred Hadl, 1211 Monterey Way.

“The rock bed is designed to carry the water from the guttering down spouts away from the house, and so far it has worked beautifully,” Sandy Praeger says. “The bed creek is located at precisely the areas where we were getting some major erosion because of the water running off the roof.

“The guttering is newly installed, which allowed the design team to take full advantage of where the erosion’s source was and work with the guttering for good drainage.”

The Praegers then softened the creek’s appearance by planting hellebores, ornamental grasses, lilies, ground cover and other perennials, taking what could have been an unsavory situation and turning it into an unexpected garden paradise.