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How to improve your garden’s drainage
Prone to large amounts of rainfall in the UK - grass and soils are often heavily saturated - and this can cause gardens to suffer from poor drainage. Another reason for this is that more of us are choosing to convert our gardens into paved areas for driveways or patios, increasing the risk of flooding.
Are you looking to improve your garden’s drainage this summer? Rest assured, you’re not alone and we have the perfect solution for you at Total Pipes.
Install Land Drains
Is your garden’s drainage particularly bad? Digging a trench and installing a perforated drain pipe that’s encased in pea shingle is a great way to improve drainage.
It allows water to drain through the lawn, into perforated pipes where it can be channelled away from that area. Land drains direct water into ditches and streams but a soakaway can be dug as an alternative.
At Total Pipes we supply:
We recommend installing land drainage towards the end of summer/beginning of autumn when the ground is dry…nobody wants to be installing land drains in wet, muddy conditions do they!
Grow Plants
If you already have plants and trees in your garden, planting more is a relatively inexpensive solution for improving garden drainage but will also make your garden a nicer place to be in the summer months.
Make sure that you choose plants and trees that can survive in boggy conditions. We suggest planting water-loving trees, such as:
- Willow
- Maple
- Ferns
- Irises
as they will remove excess moisture from the ground.
Improve Soil Drainage
If your garden drainage isn’t causing too much of an issue, why not improve the permeability of soils? Using organic soils could potentially alleviate the problem - absorbing moisture.
A compost heap is a valuable way to improve soil drainage and easy to make, using:
- grass clippings
- weeds
- dead flower heads
- eggshells
- wood ash
- leaves
- fruit and veg waste
Manage Surface Water Runoff
Incorporating a sloping surface in your garden will allow you to manage surface water runoff. It will direct water to where it can be disposed of efficiently (i.e. a surface drain or plant bed with moisture-loving plants or trees).
The only downfall with this is that it can work out to be a costly option, depending on your circumstances. You may need to sculpt the contours of your garden, so before attempting anything, make sure you seek advice from an expert.
Install Artificial Grass
Many people consider artificial grass to be the best solution for drainage problems. It’s a fantastic alternative to natural grass and is easier to maintain.
Capable of handling 52 litres per square metre/per minute, there needs to be a permeable surface installed beneath the turf. It allows water to drain through - preventing drainage problems in the future and can last between 15 and 20 years.
Contact Total Pipes
Need to know more about how you can improve your garden’s drainage? Let Total Pipes guide and advise you. Our team of experts are always on hand to help and will be more than willing to share their expertise. Call us on 01254 382 000 or email sales@totalpipes.co.uk today.