So far, April has lived up to its reputation of being a rainy month in Northern Virginia. With some downpours, flash floods, and even a few snow flurries, the weather in April has proven to be a nuisance for homeowners who are struggling to maintain their landscaping. How do you ensure your yard gets enough water and gets rid of the rest?
As a landscaping company in Northern Virginia, we understand the care required to make sure your yard can escape heavy rainfall unscathed. Below, we help you understand why excess water is bad for your landscaping and provide some landscaping tips for surviving even the toughest April shower.
Why is Too Much Water Bad?
Although water can help your landscaping thrive, it can also damage it. Too much water may kill your plants, trees, and grass. Without proper drainage, extra water will simply stand in your yard. This not only makes for unsightly, soggy patches of mud, but it can attract mosquitos and other pests to your yard. Excess water can also cause soil erosion, which affects your yard’s future ability to drain and also carries pollutants to streams and rivers.
Landscaping Projects to Get Rid of Water
To protect your landscape’s appearance and health, it is important to maintain a healthy level of water in your yard and get rid of the rest. Here are a few of our suggested landscaping projects to help you keep excess water at bay:
- Dry creek beds: Both stylish and functional, dry creek beds are a great landscaping option to drain extra water. A creek bed is created by digging a ditch through a part of your yard that runs downhill. This ditch usually contains a drainage rock and filter fabric to prevent extra water from causing soil erosion. You can choose the right rocks and design your creek bed to complement your landscape’s appearance.
- French drains: Similar to creek beds, French drains contain a ditch filled with gravel. Underneath the gravel is a perforated pipe that redirects excess water away from your home and carries it outside of your yard. The rocks also provide extra drainage for the water that does not end up in the pipe.
- Sod installation: Sod installation may be ideal for homeowners looking to replenish or replace their lawn. Sod is easy to install, grows like your normal lawn, and can help reduce soil erosion. If you want to improve your lawn’s lush appearance while helping promote less soil erosion, contact your local landscaping company in Northern Virginia for sod installation.
- Soil grading: Soil grading involves sloping your soil properly to ensure all excess water flows away from your home and out of your yard. With grading, your landscaper will give your yard either a level base or slope your soil according to the areas of elevation in your yard. If needed, extra drainage systems can be installed for backup protection.
Keep Your Yard Dry With O’Grady’s Landscape!
With this month’s April showers and the thunderstorms and hurricanes of summer not far behind, now is the time to ensure your yard can get rid of excess water. O’Grady’s Landscape, a professional landscaping company in Northern Virginia, offers landscaping services that not only look great but can prevent excess water from damaging your yard. We love helping our clients create the outdoor space of their dreams, and finding landscaping solutions that work best for their needs.
Request a consultation to get started!
The following two tabs change content below.
Mike Hambleton
Vice President, Project Manager, Designer at O'Grady's Landscape
Mike has over twenty years of experience in the landscaping industry. He has been with O’Grady’s Landscape since 2000 as a talented landscape designer and manager who enjoys working with all of our customers to create unique landscapes.
Latest posts by Mike Hambleton (see all)
- The Benefits to Having An Autumn Fire Pit Installation For Your Northern Virginia Home - September 14, 2018
- Prepare Your Yard With These Simple Fall Lawn Maintenance Tips - August 15, 2018
- The Benefits of an Outdoor Kitchen - May 30, 2018
