When you are working on the landscaping in your yard, it is important that you not forget about drainage. While you might have a beautiful green lawn, rose bushes, and plants that are all healthy, watering them could cause your yard to drown due to the excess water. This is often the result of poor drainage. Here are some tips for improving the drainage in your yard.
Make a Mixture of Soil and Organic Matter
The soil in your yard is likely a major issue that is contributing to your drainage problem. If you have straight clay soil in the yard, it probably becomes heavy and compacted when water hits it. This turns into a hard material that makes proper draining very difficult. Instead of having straight soil in the yard, add some organic matter to be mixed in with the clay soil. This will help break up the dense clay while also providing a good place for plants to grow healthy and strong. The drainage is improved and your plants look much healthier.
Use Rocks in the Yard For Drainage
Changing the type of landscaping you have can also impact the quality of your drainage. Hardscaping is a popular option used in yards for its drainage and the appearance it lends to your landscaping design. This uses rocks and stones in certain areas of the yard where you need better drainage. You can place a row of rocks around the edge of your garden, around trees, and in areas where you tend to water the lawn frequently. It lets the water drain properly instead of soaking these areas and giving you drowned soil.
Have a Water Feature in the Yard
You might also want to add a water feature to your yard. You don't want a fountain, but instead a rain garden or a pond. Rain gardens provide a beautiful feature to look at, a lovely sound, and better drainage potential. The pond can actually collect the extra water, particularly from heavy rains, then circulate it back through the pond. A rain garden works in much the same way by recycling the rainwater instead of causing it to drown out your yard.
Change the Overall Slope of the Yard
The topography of your yard can also make a difference when it comes to its drainage potential. If you have a completely flat yard, then there aren't many options for the water to drain out. You might need to consult a landscaping professional who can change the slope of the yard so that in areas where a lot of water collects, it has a way to naturally go down the yard but also stay away from your house.
