5 Powerful Landscape Drainage Solutions

Many homeowners dream of a beautiful lawn full of lush green grass and vibrant plants. Creating this dream landscaping is a labor of love–and one that homeowners want to protect. Ensuring your yard is protected from harmful diseases and insects and keeping animals from eating your plants are just some of the protections you need.

One essential protection that is often overlooked is the need for landscape drainage solutions. Here is why landscape drainage is so important–and 5 easy ways to ensure proper drainage for your landscaping.

Why You Need Landscape Drainage

Water is essential in maintaining a healthy yard, but too much water can be detrimental. Excessive amounts of water can lead to soil erosion,with soil moving from one area of your property to another.

Soil erosion isn't the only issue you can face from a lack of drainage; standing water is another possibility. Standing water occurs when the water has nowhere to go, and it accumulates in puddles of varying sizes in your yard. Puddles can cause more erosion, attract insects like mosquitoes, drown plants, and destroy your grass. The longer the issue of standing water and soil erosion is left untreated, the worse the issue can become, damaging not just more of your yard, but potentially reaching your home's foundation.

5 Solutions You Can Implement

Implementing landscape drainage solutions is the easiest way to prevent standing water and soil erosion.

1. Aerate Your Lawn

Aerating your lawn is one of the cheapest and easiest drainage solutions. The process involves taking something sharp, like a pitchfork, and poking small holes throughout your lawn. Doing this helps break apart compacted soil, to reintroduce air and nutrients into the ground and allow water runoff to trickle into the ground.

2. Install a French Drain

French drains are another simple and cost-effective drainage solution for landscaping. With a French drain, a trench is lined with landscape fabric before a perforated pipe is placed along the length of the drain, and is connected to an exterior drainage outlet. The pipe is then covered with a bed of gravel.

These systems are popular because they take water runoff away from your yard and are easy enough that a homeowner can install it themselves.

3. Replace Hardscape with Permeable Pavers

For a unique approach to landscape drainage solutions, consider permeable pavers. They take the place of a traditional hardscape design and allow water runoff to pass through the gaps and slowly filter into the ground underneath. Pavers are made using fired clay brick or concrete, and the joints between them are filled with crushed stones for a finished look.

Permeable pavers are an excellent option that blends well with landscape design and can create a cohesive look.

4. Plant Water-Absorbing Trees and Shrubs

If you're already taking the time to work on your landscaping, consider including water-absorbing plants to help with drainage. Plants like Red Maples, White Cedars, Globeflowers, Primroses, and Violets are just a few plants that can help absorb excess water. Talking to a landscape expert can help you choose the best plants for your yard based on your climate, budget, and maintenance desires.

5. Install Trench or Slot Drain

Installing a drainage system like the Slot Drain or Trench Drain from Landscape Drains is another option. These options provide more efficient support for water runoff in areas where flooding is a concern.

The Trench Drain is a system that consists of a trench with a drain channel that is covered by a grate cover. These systems are designed to handle large amounts of water runoff and come in a wide range of materials, including stainless steel. For a more personalized look, you have the option of a decorative grate cover, which can blend more seamlessly with your overall landscape design.

The Slot Drain is similar to the trench drain in basic design, but the Slot Drain's channel opening is much smaller, which eliminates the need for a grate cover. Slot Drain can also be made from various materials, including stainless steel. Slot Drain has various models to choose from, depending on your needs.

Both of the Landscape Drains' options are sleek, linear options that come fully assembled and are easy to install. They are also easy to maintain and have the option of a catch basin and strainer basket to retrieve small items and debris easily.

Find the Best Drainage Solution with Landscape Drains

Water can bring life to your yard, however, it can also bring destruction. Standing water, in particular, can cause a great deal of damage over time. To prevent standing water, erosion, and flooding, you need to include a drainage solution in your landscape design.

The 5 landscape drainage solutions we’ve listed are great options on their own or used in any number of combinations. Take your time to research and decide what options would work best for your situation and contact the professionals at Landscape Drains today for the best, most modern drainage solutions.