Maintaining your garden can be an extremely strenuous job, it can be made even more difficult if you have a problem of standing water, which can give your garden the appearance of a swamp and invite a plethora of insects such as mosquitoes and whatnot into the premises of your home.
Hence it is extremely important that your garden has a drainage system which is adequate and is efficient in diverting water away from your garden at all times. There are a number of different garden drainage systems available in the market, here are some of the more popular ones out there.
French Drains
Source: Flickr
These drains are quite popular as well as efficient due to the fact that they are installed beneath the surface of the lawn. It is also known as a gravel drain system as the drain is installed under the garden topsoil and is probably the best long lasting drainage system for clay gardens. The drainage can take more than a couple of days to install and is made by pouring the gravel into trenches and digging it in a herring bone pattern.
Sump and Pump Method
Whenever you are using a plastic pipe or a French drainage to treat a soggy garden, the water needs to travel downhill and away from the area where your garden is located. A natural inclined slope can take the water away from your house and down the drain in a matter of minutes.
If however the slope is channeling the water into the street or into your neighbors gardens then you need to install a sump pump. This works by collecting all the excess water and then discharging it somewhere else. It is perhaps the most effective technique, but at the same time it is quite expensive as well.
Flood Barriers
Source: Wikimedia
These can be used to restrict or at least slowdown the flow of water. As the name suggests a flood barrier is used to protect your garden from getting flooded. It is made by using a clay based soil and making a sort of embankment which works as a defense mechanism and protects the garden.
Soakaway
This is perhaps the most rudimentary technique out there, this is just a hole in the ground which is filled with coarse stone and rubble, and then a drainage pipe is laid to it so that the porous layer underneath the rubble can soak up all the water.
However, there are certain restrictions that you must comply with when making use of soakaway. For starters it must be at least 5 meters from any habitable locale and must be in adherence to the local rules and regulations. The pipe flowing into the soakaway should be at least 75 mm in diameter which is the recommended pipe size for any sort of surface drainage. However just to be safe install a 80mm pipe, when making a soakaway.
It’s not necessary to pay over the top for an effective drainage system, and you can probably get yourself a decent one if you can narrow down the problem that you have at hand. However, if the trouble continues to persist call a professional and let him take care of the problem.
