Exploring Landscape Setups

Don't Let The Water Destroy Your Landscaping Or Your Home: How To Create An Effective Water Management System In Your Yard

2 October 2017 by Tanya Green

If you live with torrential rains, you know how destructive the constant flow of water can be, especially to your landscaping. Storm water flowing through your yard can wash away your gardens, erode the soil under your foundation, driveway and sidewalks, and even flood your home. One way to control the flow of the damage, is to utilize proper water management systems in your yard. Here are three techniques you can use to control the flow of water through your yard. 

Say No to Traditional Driveways

You might not realize this, but traditional driveways aren't the best way to protect your home from ground water damage. You can make the most of your water management plans by saying no to traditional driveways. Instead, use paving stones, and grass to create a cobblestone-style driveway. The water will be more easily absorbed into the grass that's growing between the paving stones, instead of flowing beneath the concrete, causing soil erosion.

Create Water-Diverting Swales

If you have a large yard, you can use swales to divert the flow of water away from your home. Swales are elevated areas or hills that have a depression on one side. Excess water flows down the swales into underground drainage fields, or French drains. One of the benefits of swales is that they don't interfere with the appearance of your yard, and they can be placed anywhere. To maximize the benefits of a swale, you can design a rain garden in the drainage area. Rain gardens are designed using plants that thrive on water. The rain garden will absorb excess water, and use it for the nourishment of your plants. Once you've planted your rain garden, you'll need to prevent the soil from washing away during heavy rains. You can do that using either pea gravel, or coarse mulch. Avoid using light-weight mulch because it won't be heavy enough to withstand the force of the water, which means you'll be losing soil and mulch.

Get Creative With the Gutters

Gutters are designed to divert water away from the foundation of your home. However, during heavy rainstorms, even the best gutters can become overburdened. Unfortunately, that means the excess water could end up collecting around your home. You can get the most out of your gutters by making them an integral part of a bigger water management system. By creating small trenches in your yard, and lining them with gravel, you can form small rivers that will cause the water to flow away from your home and down towards the street. If you'd like, you can also design a flowing path that runs from the downspout to your swale.

For more water management tips, contact companies like The Lake Doctors, Inc.

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