Drainage in the garden and lawn

Drainage in the garden and lawn

With all the rain we’ve been having over the past few months, my soil is very damp. What’s the best way to improve drainage in garden beds and lawns?

Possibly all over New Zealand, gardens are encountering the same wet and boggy conditions. At this time of the year, clearly identify and mark areas that are particularly wet, either from poor drainage or just continual rainfall. Remedial work is best carried out in the drier months of the year involving the installation of drainage coil and/or raising gardens, especially vegetable gardens.

When installing additional drainage in your lawn, ensure there is somewhere for the water to go e.g. not just into other parts of the garden or into a neighbouring property.

As a short-term measure at this time of the year, mulch heavily around your plants with crushed bark or bark chip. Both products absorb considerable amounts of rainfall which would otherwise flow into your already waterlogged soil.

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