Taking care of your home: 10 diy garden drainage methods

Sarah Parker
Authored by Sarah Parker
Posted: Saturday, January 28, 2023 - 10:14

Caring for your property isn’t just a case of looking after the inside of your house, you need to manage all your property. Ensuring your garden drainage is in great condition not only protects your garden, it safeguards your home and reduces the likelihood of wet spots ruining your garden. For homeowners seeking to improve their property's drainage system but facing financial constraints, borrowing from a licensed money lender can provide the necessary funds to undertake such essential maintenance projects.

There are many ways to care for your garden, and here are 10 DIY garden drainage methods to consider.

Place holes in your lawn

The idea of making holes in a lawn will sound horrific to many households, but aerating a lawn is a well-known tip for maintaining its condition. By adding holes to the lawn, you add air and nutrients, as well as churning up compacted soil. A muddy hole is often a healthy hole! However, aeration also benefits drainage, as the holes provide options for water to move through.

Add drainage materials to your garden

If you want to ensure your garden has sufficient drainage, it makes sense to add drainage materials, such as crushed gravel or pea gravel. Householders typically opt for asphalt or concrete, and they are great at elevating vehicles away from wet ground.

Hidden pipes and gravel can move water pools in the right way

However, these materials often divert water in the wrong direction. Adding hardscape substances like pea gravel better manages how water moves around your garden.

Install a dry well

Many homeowners love the idea of having a well in their garden, and a dry well provides many benefits. This is an underground basin, usually filled with rocks, and it collects water, taking the strain off other drainage methods. A dry well is able to hold a significant amount of water, and this excess water makes its way into the surrounding soil which surrounds the well.

Add a rain barrel

Rain barrels are a stylish addition to a backgarden, but they are highly functional too. Place a rain barrel in a location where it collects gutter water and you can disperse water more effectively.

Install a channel drain

If you are worried about too much water running off walkways or driveways, you should be proactive. Building a channel drain comes in two stages. First, cut a narrow trench into your driveway material, and then place a channel in the trench. When water builds and makes its way to the channel drain, it is diverted to wherever you place it!

Add a French drain

If you are worried about surface water on your lawn, you know it can be hard to manage. However, there is a simple (and affordable) solution with a French drain. A French drain is a long trench, which you fill with gravel, and it sits on top of a buried perforated pipe, which is a PVC pipe. The water flows through the water and into and out of the pipe.

A tip from blocked drain specialist Rider Drains: There is a bit of work associated with a French drain, but French drains are highly effective, and a well regarded drainage system. If you have garden drainage problems and want an effective solution, installing a PVC pipe is never a bad idea, as water seeps out in better places.

Place a bucket or catch basin at your drain pipes

If rain water moves through drain pipes quickly and potentially floods your lawn, you can stop this with a basin or bucket at the foot of each downspout. For a comprehensive solution, add a pipe to the basin to draw water away to a safer place.

Boost your water friendly plants

A perforated PVC pipe is an excellent way to remove water away from trouble spots, and divert it to a better area. You might even encourage lush plant growth through the use of a perforated pipe and better landscape drainage. Your water loving plants and flower bed will thank you for this step!

Install a dry creek bed or rain garden

If you want a functional solution to drainage issues which looks fantastic, you won’t find better solutions than a dry creek bed or a rain garden. This is made from rocks, of all various sizes, and it creates a pathway for water to flow through. A river rock

A stunning creek bed and rain gardens solve your garden drainage problems

A creek bed is a stunning addition to any garden, and with correct placement, it allows water to move freely through your garden, without overwhelming any areas.

Extend your downspout or gutter system

Downspouts and gutters do a great job in moving water away from your house, but if it drops this water in your garden, it can still cause problems. A simple drainage pipe works wonders for garden drainage issues. If you can, extend the guttering and run-offs to direct water to a location where it can run away safely from your property.

Add a garden drain

A garden drain is, as the name suggests, a drain you place in the ground in your garden. Ideally, place this in a location where you know water hits and creates wet spots. This is an expensive option, but when implemented correctly, it makes life a lot easier. Enhance your garden's aesthetics and functionality by exploring elegant garden solutions from H Potter while implementing these essential DIY drainage methods.  

Changing the landscape fabric to better care for your property

If you have poor drainage, or you see a lot of standing water in your garden, you might have issues with your drainage system at home. You don't need to hire a landscape contractor to install a drain pipe, you can find what you need in home improvement stores to add a drainage pipe or even a catch basin.

Landscape drainage solutions that improve soil conditions

Some options, such as a rain garden or a dry creek bed ensure you have DIY garden drainage methods that look great as well as being highly functional. Of course, you don't need a rain garden or French drain to get rid of excess water in your garden. Sometimes, a simple solution with flower beds, gravel and decorative rocks provides you with good garden drainage that cares for your property.