Water Problems in Your Landscape and Solutions

Don’t let standing water, seasonal flooding, and poorly drained soils stop you from growing a beautiful landscape. Try one of these strategies to manage the excess water and create a healthy environment for your landscape plants.

Raise the plants above the water. Create berms and raised beds so the plant roots are growing above the seasonal standing water.

Create a traditional French drain in areas subject to flooding. These gravel filled trenches capture excess water and hold it below the soil surface so it can gradually seep into the ground below.

Or create a rain garden. They’re designed to capture runoff from roofs and hard surfaces that occurs after a rainstorm or water that naturally collects in low spots in the yard. They direct rainwater into the ground instead of the storm sewers.

And always call 811 before digging in. This free utility locating service can save you money and even your life.

A bit more information: For areas with damp soil select plants tolerant of moist or wet soils. These include plants such as dogwoods, chokeberry, elderberry, swamp milkweed, turtlehead, Ligularia, marsh marigold, Japanese and Siberian iris, sedges, and rushes. Make sure the plants are hardy to your area and tolerate the light and other growing conditions in that part of your landscape. For more plant suggestions, review lists of garden plants for your region.