As fall and winter approach, many areas of the country are in for harsher weather and heavier rains. How you prepare your yard for the wet and stormy season can go a long way toward ensuring that it weathers these events in good condition. Here are 3 things you can do right now to get ready.
Check Drainage
Assessing the state of your drainage can be done long before any rain arrives to make problems obvious. Use a large overhead sprinkler and garden hose to simulate natural rain and water flowing in the yard. You can run water down the gutters and downspouts to see how it flows out the bottom and where it settles.
Give the lawn a heavy watering and check for areas of puddling and pooling. Shoot water from a hose onto patios, roofs, hardscaping, and decks, and follow how it flows to the ground and ensure it spreads evenly on the soil. If you have particular problems in your yard's drainage plan, consult with an experienced landscaping service who can provide a variety of solutions.
Clean up Debris
One of the easiest things you can do for your landscape in any storm is to clear it out ahead of time. Unattached and unattended items can take flight in a storm, cause unnecessary puddles, form rot and mildew, or prevent water from flowing to drains.
Take a weekend to perform a "fall cleanup" and get everything leftover from summer put away and ready for fall. This includes trimming shrubs, removing dead or dying annuals, clearing leaves, putting summer furniture away, and cleaning up piles from earlier gardening projects.
Protect Plants
Create a system for protecting plants and flowers that you do want to save as it gets colder and stormier. Start by laying down mulch in garden and flower beds. Mulch is a natural way to help prevent erosion, keep roots warmer, and allow water to properly drain.
In addition, prepare hardy coverings both large and small. You could use a tarp and tie-down system, for example, to protect late summer garden vegetables from monsoons and hail. Delicate flowers should often be protected individually. There are pre-made clear plastic domes that will protect smaller plants while still allowing sunlight in as well. Whatever your protective methods, make them handy now. Have a supply of tarps, buckets, or other covers ready to deploy when you get word of bad weather.
Spending a little time while the weather is still comfortable to prepare for when it's not so comfortable, you can help ensure that your landscaping not only survives storms but also thrives in the wet months. Companies like Arbor Landscape and Sprinklers can help.
