15 Ways to Manage Excess Water in Your Landscape
Transform a soggy yard into a landscape for all seasons by adding smart drainage, a rain garden, a swale and more
Marianne Lipanovich
November 22, 2021
Houzz Contributor. I'm a California-based writer and editor. While most of my projects are garden-based, you might also find me writing about home projects and classical music. Away from the computer, I'm found in the garden (naturally), on my bike, or ice-skating outdoors (yes, that is possible in California). I'm also willing to taste-test anything that's chocolate.
Houzz Contributor. I'm a California-based writer and editor. While most of my projects... More
Plants need water to survive, but sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. Too much water can lead to standing pools, overly wet lawns and garden beds, and even compacted soil that no longer has enough oxygen pores to support plant life. Whether you’re dealing with periodic flooding or a naturally wet microclimate, these ideas will help your natural rainfall be an asset rather than a liability.
Keep Things Moving
Prevent water from pooling by moving it through the garden. You can either filter the water into the earth or drain it to a stormwater system, rain garden, bog or pond.
A landscape team solved draining issues for the Atlanta backyard seen here by installing a patio on a 12-inch-deep gravel base over a perforated pipe. The pipe collects and directs water into an ornamental grass-filled rain garden behind the seating wall; the water then drains into the soil.
Draining water on-site rather than relying on storm drain systems has a number of benefits. It keeps accumulated water from overwhelming the storm drain system. It also minimizes the number of pollutants from water running off roofs and other built structures, which otherwise would end up in the water system, including local streams and rivers.
Note: Incorporating on-site drainage is becoming more mainstream in the landscaping community. Some municipalities even mandate draining most or all of a home’s water on-site.
Prevent water from pooling by moving it through the garden. You can either filter the water into the earth or drain it to a stormwater system, rain garden, bog or pond.
A landscape team solved draining issues for the Atlanta backyard seen here by installing a patio on a 12-inch-deep gravel base over a perforated pipe. The pipe collects and directs water into an ornamental grass-filled rain garden behind the seating wall; the water then drains into the soil.
Draining water on-site rather than relying on storm drain systems has a number of benefits. It keeps accumulated water from overwhelming the storm drain system. It also minimizes the number of pollutants from water running off roofs and other built structures, which otherwise would end up in the water system, including local streams and rivers.
Note: Incorporating on-site drainage is becoming more mainstream in the landscaping community. Some municipalities even mandate draining most or all of a home’s water on-site.
1. Add a drain system. Installing a drain in a low spot in your yard will send excess water underground. While you can simply let the water drain directly into the soil or a dry well, installing a French drain is a classic approach that will both drain the water and move it through your landscape.
With a French drain, a surface-level grate connects to perforated piping that is set in a belowground-level ditch. The water moves along the piping, and the holes allow it to filter into the soil on either side of the ditch. The ditch is covered with gravel or rocks to conceal the pipes and aid in filtering water.
Find a landscape contractor near you
With a French drain, a surface-level grate connects to perforated piping that is set in a belowground-level ditch. The water moves along the piping, and the holes allow it to filter into the soil on either side of the ditch. The ditch is covered with gravel or rocks to conceal the pipes and aid in filtering water.
Find a landscape contractor near you
2. Install an aboveground drainage channel. Also known as a bioswale. Keeping the water aboveground helps prevent soil erosion; exposing runoff water to sunlight, known as “daylighting,” helps improve water quality as well.
A more natural-looking option is to add a swale — a shallow, planted depression that runs through a landscape, often across a slope. Swales move water, but they also slow it down and allow it to percolate back into the ground to improve water quality.
How to Move Water Through Your Landscape
A more natural-looking option is to add a swale — a shallow, planted depression that runs through a landscape, often across a slope. Swales move water, but they also slow it down and allow it to percolate back into the ground to improve water quality.
How to Move Water Through Your Landscape
3. Build a creek bed. Adding a creek to meander through your yard is another good way to capture excess water during the rainy season without unsightly hoses or downspout extenders snaking across your yard.
Your streambed should move water away from your home or other structures and should have enough of a slope to ensure that the water will keep moving. Edge it with a variety of stones or boulders, and line the bottom with gravel, pebbles or small stones. Make your creek look more natural by adding curves and varying the width of the creek bed as well as the size, shapes and colors of the rocks. You can also tuck in plants along the edges.
Your streambed should move water away from your home or other structures and should have enough of a slope to ensure that the water will keep moving. Edge it with a variety of stones or boulders, and line the bottom with gravel, pebbles or small stones. Make your creek look more natural by adding curves and varying the width of the creek bed as well as the size, shapes and colors of the rocks. You can also tuck in plants along the edges.
Add a Water-Friendly Garden Feature
Incorporate landscape features that allow you to corral your runoff while providing additional planting options.
4. Plant a rain garden. A rain garden, such as the Portland, Oregon, one seen here, resembles a typical garden bed year-round, filled with shrubs, grasses and perennials. The plantings are set in a depression or on a slope that is designed to slow water runoff and filter pollutants before the runoff drains into the soil.
Thanks to the variety of plants, especially natives, a rain garden also creates an ideal environment for beneficial insects, songbirds, butterflies and other wildlife.
While it’s tempting to add a rain garden wherever water tends to puddle, not every spot is ideal. “Wet spots are not appropriate for rain gardens, as they require good drainage,” says landscape designer Amy Whitworth of Plan-It Earth Design in Portland.
Learn more about adding a rain garden
Incorporate landscape features that allow you to corral your runoff while providing additional planting options.
4. Plant a rain garden. A rain garden, such as the Portland, Oregon, one seen here, resembles a typical garden bed year-round, filled with shrubs, grasses and perennials. The plantings are set in a depression or on a slope that is designed to slow water runoff and filter pollutants before the runoff drains into the soil.
Thanks to the variety of plants, especially natives, a rain garden also creates an ideal environment for beneficial insects, songbirds, butterflies and other wildlife.
While it’s tempting to add a rain garden wherever water tends to puddle, not every spot is ideal. “Wet spots are not appropriate for rain gardens, as they require good drainage,” says landscape designer Amy Whitworth of Plan-It Earth Design in Portland.
Learn more about adding a rain garden
5. Build a bog garden. A bog garden splits the difference between a rain garden and a true pond. The ideal spot is a dip or depression, either natural or created, where the soil is permanently moist or soggy but doesn’t have constant standing water. The bog garden in White Plains, New York, seen here sits at the edge of a garden pond, providing a natural transition between the yard and the water feature.
Help nature along, even in a naturally wet garden location, by adding a liner with holes for drainage and ensuring that the soil is both high in nutrients and acidic. Add water-loving plants to complete the look.
Note: One concern about bog gardens is mosquitoes. They are generally attracted to standing water rather than wet soil, but if you discover an issue, you may need to add controls of some sort, such as a mosquito dunk, fish in a nearby pond or even a carnivorous bog plant.
Help nature along, even in a naturally wet garden location, by adding a liner with holes for drainage and ensuring that the soil is both high in nutrients and acidic. Add water-loving plants to complete the look.
Note: One concern about bog gardens is mosquitoes. They are generally attracted to standing water rather than wet soil, but if you discover an issue, you may need to add controls of some sort, such as a mosquito dunk, fish in a nearby pond or even a carnivorous bog plant.
6. Plan for a pond. A pond creates a year-round serene focal point in the landscape, as well as captures water that would otherwise overwhelm your garden or the storm drainage system.
Ponds also bring movement to a garden and create a mini ecosystem. Fish are an obvious pond addition, but you’ll also find that a pond will attract amphibians, birds and other wildlife.
Site your pond in a spot that is easy to direct excess water toward, whether it’s a natural slope or depression or the culmination of a dry creek bed or end of a swale.
Before you dig, weigh the pros and cons of this type of water feature. Most ponds of any size require a bigger start-up investment and more maintenance than a creek or bog. They can attract wildlife that contribute to the ecosystem but that you might not personally appreciate, including raccoons, skunks and snakes.
There are also safety concerns with even a small pond. Check local regulations and codes, including any homeowner restrictions.
Ponds also bring movement to a garden and create a mini ecosystem. Fish are an obvious pond addition, but you’ll also find that a pond will attract amphibians, birds and other wildlife.
Site your pond in a spot that is easy to direct excess water toward, whether it’s a natural slope or depression or the culmination of a dry creek bed or end of a swale.
Before you dig, weigh the pros and cons of this type of water feature. Most ponds of any size require a bigger start-up investment and more maintenance than a creek or bog. They can attract wildlife that contribute to the ecosystem but that you might not personally appreciate, including raccoons, skunks and snakes.
There are also safety concerns with even a small pond. Check local regulations and codes, including any homeowner restrictions.
Optimize Growing Conditions
Creating great growing conditions, from using plant-friendly soils and overall good gardening practices to making the most of available sunlight, goes a long way toward helping correct overly wet conditions. These aren’t instant fixes, but you will see the overall benefits over time.
7. Add amendments. Too much water in the soil can lead to problems with diseases, fungus and root rot. Regularly incorporating organic materials, such as compost and manure, helps loosen the soil and encourages water to drain rather than sit. If you can add earthworms, nature’s natural tunnelers, to the mix, so much the better.
Digging to place amendments into the soil as well as aerating it regularly also loosens it up. Avoid digging when things are very wet, especially if you have clay soil, as you can compact the soil rather than open it up.
Other materials to incorporate include vermiculite, perlite and possibly sand. These can have pluses and minuses, so check with local nurseries or your local Cooperative Extension Office for recommendations for your soil conditions.
Get the Dirt on Your Garden’s Soil
Creating great growing conditions, from using plant-friendly soils and overall good gardening practices to making the most of available sunlight, goes a long way toward helping correct overly wet conditions. These aren’t instant fixes, but you will see the overall benefits over time.
7. Add amendments. Too much water in the soil can lead to problems with diseases, fungus and root rot. Regularly incorporating organic materials, such as compost and manure, helps loosen the soil and encourages water to drain rather than sit. If you can add earthworms, nature’s natural tunnelers, to the mix, so much the better.
Digging to place amendments into the soil as well as aerating it regularly also loosens it up. Avoid digging when things are very wet, especially if you have clay soil, as you can compact the soil rather than open it up.
Other materials to incorporate include vermiculite, perlite and possibly sand. These can have pluses and minuses, so check with local nurseries or your local Cooperative Extension Office for recommendations for your soil conditions.
Get the Dirt on Your Garden’s Soil
8. Bring in mulch. Mulching can benefit any garden. While it might seem counterintuitive for wet areas, as it’s often associated with preventing moisture loss, mulching will slow down the absorption of water into the soil. It also can attract beneficial insects, especially earthworms.
Find out which mulch is right for your garden
Find out which mulch is right for your garden
9. Let the sun shine. While trees are great garden assets, deep shade in an already wet garden can just encourage damp conditions. Rather than remove all your trees, call in a professional to do judicious pruning to open up your overstory. Not only will you get more sunshine, which will aid in drying up the soil, but your trees will thank you.
Add Elevation
Sometimes the best way to improve soil drainage for planting beds or to avoid compacting soil in very wet spots is to alter your approach. Rather than fighting your soil type and constantly adding amendments, rise above it with berms or raised beds.
10. Build a berm. A berm can be as small as a raised row in a vegetable garden or as large as an elevation-changing garden feature, such as the one lining the edge of the lawn in Newton, Massachusetts, seen here. Either way, a berm allows you to bring in the soil you want without major digging, adding amendments or making other alterations to your yard. A berm also brings interest and can provide additional privacy.
Once a berm is set in place, you’ll need to add a variety of plants to fit the new look. “Building a berm creates a natural wet spot around the edges,” Whitworth says. Her advice: “Expand the planting bed to include the wet area, adding wetland plants to soak up water and add texture.”
Sometimes the best way to improve soil drainage for planting beds or to avoid compacting soil in very wet spots is to alter your approach. Rather than fighting your soil type and constantly adding amendments, rise above it with berms or raised beds.
10. Build a berm. A berm can be as small as a raised row in a vegetable garden or as large as an elevation-changing garden feature, such as the one lining the edge of the lawn in Newton, Massachusetts, seen here. Either way, a berm allows you to bring in the soil you want without major digging, adding amendments or making other alterations to your yard. A berm also brings interest and can provide additional privacy.
Once a berm is set in place, you’ll need to add a variety of plants to fit the new look. “Building a berm creates a natural wet spot around the edges,” Whitworth says. Her advice: “Expand the planting bed to include the wet area, adding wetland plants to soak up water and add texture.”
11. Incorporate raised beds. A raised bed is a more structured way to bring better soil into your garden. The multilayered raised bed seen here, in the Portland area, offers plenty of gardening space while also helping set off the sweeping view.
12. Step things down. For hillier sites, a series of garden terraces may be the way to go. Stair-stepping the water down the slope, as was done in the Hawthorn Woods, Illinois, home seen here, will help prevent erosion. It will also give you a way to showcase your prized plants.
13. Turn to hardscape. For some particularly wet spots, it might make more sense to turn to hardscape rather than garden beds. If getting across the yard to a particular area is a challenge when things are wet, consider adding a path. “I am often dealing with the issues of helping folks not sink into their lawns in the winter, and my solution is to provide proper circulation paths to get from point A to point B,” Whitworth says.
A paver path is a low-key but effective option. Gravel or decomposed granite drains more quickly and is a more eco-friendly option than patios or bricks.
Wood boardwalk-style paths can also span a wet spot in the yard, such as the one seen here that wanders through an Okatie, South Carolina, garden. If the path leads to a secondary deck or patio in what would otherwise be a problem area in the garden, so much the better.
A paver path is a low-key but effective option. Gravel or decomposed granite drains more quickly and is a more eco-friendly option than patios or bricks.
Wood boardwalk-style paths can also span a wet spot in the yard, such as the one seen here that wanders through an Okatie, South Carolina, garden. If the path leads to a secondary deck or patio in what would otherwise be a problem area in the garden, so much the better.
Choose the Right Plants
Fit your plantings to your conditions. No matter how much you alter your garden to encourage drainage, opting for plants that thrive in your conditions will result in a beautiful space that is also far less work. “I advocate working with the ecology of the site and letting it drive the plant materials,” Whitworth says.
14. Choose moisture-loving plants. Plenty of plants love extra moisture or even thrive with wet feet. Some even want to be in a bog or pond full time. Options range from annuals and perennial bulbs and shrubs to ferns, grasses and trees. The moisture-loving ligularias seen here (Ligularia sp.) create a bright spot of color in the bog garden.
Start by talking with local landscape designers or nursery personnel about the best choices for your soil and growing conditions. They can even help assess soil pH and drainage.
Fit your plantings to your conditions. No matter how much you alter your garden to encourage drainage, opting for plants that thrive in your conditions will result in a beautiful space that is also far less work. “I advocate working with the ecology of the site and letting it drive the plant materials,” Whitworth says.
14. Choose moisture-loving plants. Plenty of plants love extra moisture or even thrive with wet feet. Some even want to be in a bog or pond full time. Options range from annuals and perennial bulbs and shrubs to ferns, grasses and trees. The moisture-loving ligularias seen here (Ligularia sp.) create a bright spot of color in the bog garden.
Start by talking with local landscape designers or nursery personnel about the best choices for your soil and growing conditions. They can even help assess soil pH and drainage.
15. Embrace natives. If you live in a rain-prone climate, chances are good that the local native plants are already adapted to your soil conditions. Focusing on native plants will give you a head start on a beautiful garden that is also easy to care for, as with Somerville, Massachusetts, yard seen here.
Check with local landscape designers, nurseries and extension offices for good native plant choices for your location.
What to Know About Starting Your First Native Plant Garden
Your turn: What water-wise gardening practices have you incorporated into your garden? Tell us in the Comments.
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15 Ways to Create a Beautiful Water-Wise Landscape
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Check with local landscape designers, nurseries and extension offices for good native plant choices for your location.
What to Know About Starting Your First Native Plant Garden
Your turn: What water-wise gardening practices have you incorporated into your garden? Tell us in the Comments.
More on Houzz
15 Ways to Create a Beautiful Water-Wise Landscape
Read more about earth-friendly design
Work with a landscape designer near you
Shop for gardening tools
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My area gets spring into summer rain and fall rain separated by very hot and dry summers and dry winters. There's a joke that we get two types of rain—the prayed for and the cursed. The average rain for any month is seldom what we actually get, and the yearly average is 32".
On my property I have seasonally wet and boggy areas as well as dry, well-drained sites. The author recommends moisture loving plants, or "facultative wetland" plants. These prefer consistently moist soil, but can be found in dryer sites that get runoff or partial shade. In dryer climates these are more likely to occur in swales and along creek edges. I have had intermittent success with native species in the wetter areas (below are Large Buttercup (Ranunculus macranthus) and Baby Blue-eyes (Nemophilia phacelioides).
But drought occurs too often to not require irrigation. What I need are facultative plants that will survive hydric, mesic and xeric conditions. I've had much better success with native species than anything else.
Study your land so you know where water flows. Look at how much yearly rain you get and what seasons it falls. Is your soil heavy or well-drained? Then look for plants that will grow in what you have.
Moving back to S. Pacific (from desert to jungle) presents a lot of thought. Landscaping 1 acre is tedious & takes time. These ideas give many possibilities and are awesome food for thought. Patience is a virtue. One acre needs a lot of patience. One excavation to raise the rear yard wasn’t enough. It’s still not level but seeing these photos gives me hope.
I live in the Vancouver area and have a ground floor patio. The 3 floors above me have large patios which each have a drain pipe which empties out above my patio, no eaves or down spouts. It looks like a tap is running above me. I made raised beds with cinder blocks because the wetness would rot wood. Where most of the water dumps I sunk a 2 foot by 3 foot mortar mixing tub, put cinder blocks around it and topped the blocks with loose pavers. I have a small plug-in patio fountain pump hooked up to a remote control. I found clear tubing with a diameter to match the pump outflow and the tubbing runs into a line of hedge plants. I can detach the drain tube and add one of 3 fountain heads. For the cost of about $120 I have a drain system and a patio fountain. I do not worry about algae build up because in the summer I use the water to water patio plants that benefit from the algae. Because the pavers are loose I can take the mortar tub out and wash the whole thing in about 15 minutes. As an added bonus the racoons and cats come to drink at night.