The recent rain and snow have left gardens muddy. Lawns are saturated and flowerbeds more mud than soil. If water, drainage and muddy ground are problems for you, what you plant and how you plan your garden layout can make a big difference to how well your space adapts to high rainfall.
One of the best ways to manage the impact of rainfall on your property is to minimize the amount of paved and tarmacked areas. Soil is the best for absorbing rainfall, and although everything may be wet and muddy, the greater the area of unpaved area, the easier it is for the rain to get absorbed.
Much of Warwickshire is on clay, which has the reputation of retaining water. If your soil and grass has turned into a sea of mud, there are actions you can take to help the areas absorb more rainfall
- Improve the soil – adding compost, leaf-mold, gravel or other soil improvers will open the structure and make rain soak away more easily.
- Install land-drains – these are lengths of drainpipe with small holes all over them, usually buried about 1m below the surface. The pipe is surrounded by gravel; this allows the water to drip into the pipe and drain away
- Install a soak-away – this is a big hole that you fill with stones and gravel, then cover, allowing the water to drain into this then soak-away slowly
Trees are very good at soaking up water. Some species are better than others. Traditionally Willow trees were planted near water, as they can soak up huge amounts, helping to manage potential flooding. As with most tree species there are many varieties of willow available. They come in all shapes and sizes, with a number of options that can work in the average garden.
As well as Willows, Rowan, Elder, Hawthorn and Silver Birch can grow well in boggy or wet soil. All these native trees have smaller varieties that will suit the average garden and many offer other features such as interesting bark, foliage and flowers to provide year round interest.
If your garden is muddy or ‘bogged down’ and you want to know how to prevent this in future, give Chopwell a call. Our friendly knowledgeable team can advise on installation of drainage solutions and appropriate planting for your outside space.
