The ill effects of global warming have become a focal point of discourse and discussion worldwide. One of the biggest impacts of this can be witnessed through the erratic and extreme weather conditions that arrive unannounced. Such extreme weather conditions can wreak havoc on plants, animals, and humankind.

Home gardens can also feel the stress of such sudden weather outbreaks. It is important to prepare your landscape in ways that can withstand the threatening impacts of extreme weather conditions.

If you are seeking ideas to protect your gardens from the potential damage caused by floods, we have you covered. This comprehensive guide can help to ensure greater resilience for your lawns, backyard, or the green patches in your patio.

What Causes Flooding in Gardens?

Heavy rainfall can cause flooding in your garden. This happens when the garden soil reaches its optimum water-holding capacity and can no longer absorb more water accumulating from the heavy downpour. Hence, you may find the water to stagnate on the topsoil, causing high water levels and flooding.

Ways to Prepare Your Landscape

Lands on which your gardens are spread may have a certain water holding capacity which could become susceptible to flooding in extreme weather conditions. Boosting the water retention capacity of your garden area can work as an adaptive measure. Adopting regenerative gardening techniques can prevent flooding in your garden to a large extent.

Some techniques that can make your garden increasingly resilient include:
● Pumping up the water holding capacity of your soil.
● Build flood-proof structures throughout your garden.
● Mount facilities to capture water and initiate water storage.
● Install appropriate drainage systems.

Here are a few tips to build a flood-proof garden.

Create a water catchment area

Capturing the rainwater in tanks can minimise flooding instances. Moreover, this water can be reserved for future use in your garden.

Plant cover crops

Cover crops can benefit soils affected by floods in several ways. The residue from these crops can protect soil from the impact of rain, minimise soil erosion, and simultaneously prevent crusting. Cover crops can prevent your garden soil from erosion during torrential rainfall. You can tuck the crop back onto the soil just before it begins seeding. That way, the cover crop can act as a blanket and protect the soil from the effects of flooding.

Practice mulching

Mulching can reduce the risk of soil erosion. Applying a thick layer of mulch in your garden, especially around trees and other perennials can enhance the water retention capacity of your garden soil. Mulch could comprise a variety of organic materials, wooden chips, straw, pine needles, pebbles, and river rock.

Mulch acts as an absorber and can hold water. This then releases the water into the soil gradually over time. Organic mulch can nourish the soil, thereby building the water capacity of your landscape.

Mound your growing space

If your garden provides the scope for elevating the grow space, you should consider it. This is an effective step for making your garden flood-resilient. The raised garden beds can be filled with organic compost.

Alternatively, you can employ the Hügelkultur mechanism which offers a better survival chance to your garden flora. This European gardening method is used to raise the planting bed by filling the bottom with a mixture of wood, organic straw, grass clippings, and other organic materials.

Embrace a no-till garden

As the name suggests, this gardening method aims to reduce any form of disturbance to the soil. This will allow the organic material in the soil to naturally breakdown into the soil. Tilling can interfere with the natural formation of the soil cover and prevent insects from making natural air holes in the soil. No-tilling can be used as regenerative gardening to improve soil structure. This enables increased water retention during floods

Introduce swales in your garden

You can keep an elevated area in your garden reserved to capture water. This swale in the form of a dug-out basin can precede a berm. The berm is a raised bank that can be created by the same earth that may have been excavated to make the swale. While the swale can retain water, the berm can hold extra water, especially during floods, making your garden highly resilient. The extra water from the berm is diverted underground.

Install a rain barrel

Rain barrels are large vessels that can be placed underneath the downspouts near your garden. During heavy rainfall, these will collect all the rainwater and prevent your garden from flooding.

Install a rain-friendly garden

You can consider placing plants with high wet-soil tolerance in the centre of your rain garden. These plants may have the natural resilience to withstand more water. Hence, even if the water from other plants on the edge drains faster, those at the centre may remain unharmed for a considerable time.

Check sump-pumps

As many homes have sump pumps installed to prevent water stagnation in the basement, you can keep a regular check to ensure that the water is emptying regularly as required. Blocked sump pumps can cause greater flood hazards in your garden. You can consider attaching an extension to the pump as it can divert the water away from your garden.

Keep a watch on the downspouts and gutters

Downspouts are drainpipes that connect gutters to the side of your home to transport rainwater to the ground. Correctly installed long drain downspouts can prevent your landscape from flooding. Adding an extension to these pipes can steer water away from your garden including other areas of your home.

Make sure to keep the gutters clean as clogging can cause flooded gardens. If rainwater doesn’t find a way out, it can fall into your landscape to make unwanted puddles of water in the garden.

Concluding Thoughts

Preparing your yard for extreme weather conditions may appear arduous but careful planning and preparation can make it easier and help prevent your garden from drowning conditions. Choosing resilient plants for your garden, mulching plants, keeping gutters and drainpipes clean, installing rain barrels, and investing in a professional maintenance system for your garden can boost its capacity to withstand unfavorable weather conditions.

If you are unsure of how to ensure a resilient landscape, appointing a professional landscaping practitioner can be of help. If you are seeking professional assistance in setting up a flood-resistant garden, we can help.

At Desert Rose, a leading landscape company in Muscat, we are dedicated to designing a bespoke landscape that integrates functionality and aesthetic appeal. We have a specialized team to identify specific site and terrain conditions and offer sustainable solutions to suit your garden requirements.