How Can You Prevent Your Garden From Flooding When It Rains?

For many homeowners, one area of their home that they find peace in would be their garden. It’s where they feel most connected with nature, where they find tranquillity and embrace the smaller things in life. But when it comes to nature, you sometimes need to think about the bad sides to it, like extreme weather. As you already know, thunderstorms and strong winds can wreak havoc on your garden. Even heavy snow, ice, and freezing temperatures can do the same thing too. 

However, have you ever considered that the rainy season can also have a bad effect on your garden? While plants need water to survive, sometimes too much of a good thing can actually be bad. Flooding can create so much damage not only to the foundation of your home but it can even affect your garden. Plants can be drowned by too much water and even a grass lawn can take a long time to recover. So, during the rainy season, how can you prevent your garden from flooding?

It’s All About the Garden Layout 

The layout of your garden plays a crucial role in its resilience against flooding. So, you’re going to have to avoid planting in low-lying areas where water tends to accumulate. Instead, it’s going to be ideal to opt for elevated beds or create gentle slopes that encourage water to flow away from vulnerable plant beds.

Do You Have Drainage?

In general, how does the drainage look for your garden? Are there low points in your garden? Does rainwater tend to just stay built up on the top of your garden and not seep into the ground? If you’re dealing with this, than you need to know that this is a bad sign, and it needs to be taken care of. Ideally, you’re going to have to consider hiring some professionals who can do a CCTV drain survey for you so you can see what the deal is. 

Look into Moisture Control

So, there are going to be a couple of ways that you can do this: through mulching and through the soil that you use. So, when it comes to soil, you’re going to want to ensure your soil has proper drainage by incorporating organic matter like compost. You’re also going to need to take a look at the texture of the soil since this is also going to effect it. Mulching is something that most gardens are going to need too (such as wood chips or straw) since this helps regulate soil moisture. 

Elevate Your Pots

If you have potted plants in your garden, you should consider elevating them on bricks or plant stands. This simple thing can prevent water from collecting in the pots. Also, when you’re planting into pots, make sure there’s a hole at the button so water can drain through. 

Do Regular Maintenance 

Sometimes (not always), garden flooding happens because there simply isn’t enough maintenance being done in the garden. Things like debris and leaves can easily damage the water flow within your garden, which can very well cause some flooding. So it’s worth doing regular maintenance and sweeping up the leaves that drop heavily during autumn.

By SarahW.