How To Prevent Flooding In Your Garden

Nowadays, you hear more and more about changing climate, flooding, and at the same time about water scarcity. How can it be? You're worried, what's happening around you. I understand. It's said to be global, but actually, we all are part of what makes the 'global.' There is also power in that notion. You can take actions in your garden that make things better for yourself and positively impact the ecosystem.

Let Your Garden Drain Naturally

Don't you hate those puddles that form on the paving after the rain? They show you all the depressions that the inadequate foundation has caused for your paving or concrete driveway. Yes, I know. They also highlight another problem - the paving, asphalt, concrete, and other hard surfaces prevent water from draining naturally. When water is not absorbed, it runs somewhere else, like into stormwater sewers in the street. You are in trouble when there are heavy rainfall, lots of hard surfaces, and a stressed sewer system.

One of the best ways to prevent flooding is to let the ground breathe and absorb water naturally. In your garden, you can make this happen by pulling up the paving and using permeable landscaping materials instead.

01. The best is to keep the hard landscaping to a minimum. Use hard landscaping only where you need it.

02. Choose porous materials such as

• gravel,
• paving stones with holes for grass to grow through them, and
• bricks or concrete paving stones bedded into the sand instead of concrete foundation.

03. A wooden deck is also a good option as decking has gaps for rain to run through to gravel underneath and the ground beneath.

As the water filters in naturally to the ground, it also increases the groundwater flow significantly.

Start Planting Your Way To A Flood-Resistant Garden

Have you ever thought of why you have to water plants so much and so frequently? It's pretty interesting, actually - plants' water content can be over 90 percent! So they absorb and hold water and also evaporate it into the air.

The most effective plants to prevent your garden from flooding are trees. If you have enough room in your garden, plant one or two small trees with leafy canopies. Their roots create air pockets into the compacted soil and thus aid water to drain faster. They also draw up water and store it.

If there is not enough room for trees in your garden, you can plant more shrubs, perennials, and groundcovers. They also do the same as trees, just on a smaller scale. 

All vegetation also slows down and traps the rainwater that gives soil more time to drain.

Capture Water To Be Used Later

Doesn't it feel like that when there is rain, it's too much t a time, or there is no rain for a long time? That is a challenge for a garden owner. You might have restrictions for water usage, or your only source is expensive tap water. Wouldn't it be nice if you had reserves of rainwater to be used later?

Collecting water helps you manage the amount of surface water that might otherwise runoff from the site. Take these waters into good use.

• You can install water butts to collect roof water and use that to water your plants on dry spells. You could have just barrels or some commercial versions beside your house wall.
• Or you can install larger containers underground that hold higher quantities of water and serves as your water reserve for more extended periods.

Being self-sufficient with watering water would be pretty nice, don't you think?

There you have it! Three ways to prevent flooding in your garden - favor permeable surfaces, give more room to plants and capture water to reserves that you can use later. Now you know the three most important ways on how to flood-proof your garden. Is there something you could focus on in your garden? What would it be? Are you wondering how to improve the situation or how to take action? If you need more suggestions on that area, send me your follow-up question HERE.