How to Keep Rain From Flooding Your Garden
Given how devastating drought can cause, it’s easy to forget that too much water is also a problem. And not only when a massive flood across the entire area floods the city – just one heavy downpour can wreak havoc on a garden.
While there are some things you cannot fix or control, such as the weather and, for the most part, the topography of your area, there are several management techniques that can help protect your garden from flooding after a rainstorm. In a recent article for the Kansas City Star, Dennis Patton, a horticultural agent at the Kansas State University Research and Development Center, shares two of these strategies: a bio-refinery and a rain garden.
Build bioshael
If you haven’t come across this term before, bio-ringing is a channel that collects rainwater runoff after a storm. Here’s how Patton describes bioswales and how they can help your garden:
As water moves through the canal, a mixture of native plants slows down and increases infiltration to remove contaminants. Unlike a rain garden, the filtered water leaves the bio-plants instead of being collected. Bioswales can be used in combination with a rain garden. The groove moves the water into the rain garden to be completely absorbed into the soil … A properly constructed ditch will channel rainwater, slow traffic and provide environmental benefits. The goal is not to retain additional water in the rain garden area.
This post from the Pinoleville Pomo Nation Department of the Environment walks you through the steps of creating your own biopsy.
Plant a rain garden
Back in March, we published a post discussing the goals of a rain garden and how to make them your own. This is also a strategy that Patton recommends to protect your primary garden (and property in general) from flooding. Here he argues for rain gardens:
Rain gardens are characterized by a depression in the soil that collects runoff from roofs and roadways. They can catch up to the first inch of rain, allowing it to soak into the ground.
When properly constructed, rain gardens should be drained and free of standing water within 24-48 hours after rainfall. Soaking in soil quickly reduces mosquito problems.
But you can’t just randomly choose a spot in your yard to build a rain garden and count on it to be effective. It should be located 10-15 feet from your home with good drainage so as not to overwhelm an area that is already prone to flooding.
According to Patton, the rain garden should include “a mixture of native grasses and perennials with deep fibrous roots to break down the soil and promote water movement.” And that’s not all: this mixture of plants can make a good habitat for pollinators and birds.