Your backyard could be one of the big reasons you purchased your house. It’s a great place for children to pay, or for you to have a garden. You may want to hold parties and have family get-togethers, too. No matter what kinds of plans you have for your backyard, you want your landscaping to look its best. That can be hard to do when there’s unseasonably rainy weather, but there are some options that can help you. With the right backyard landscaping ideas for the rain, you’ll have a space you can be happy with and you won’t need to worry about all the extra water that your yard is getting. You might not be able to go outside as much, but your backyard will stay looking good and will be ready for you to use next time the skies clear up.
1). Should you take advantage of the rain with a water feature?
One of the ways to make the most of the rainy weather is to use what Mother Nature is giving you. By incorporating a water feature into your backyard you’ll get the tranquility that flowing water offers and will also be able to make use of all the extra rain you’re getting. You can collect it in barrels to fill up the water feature during drier times, or just let it keep the water feature full during the rainy season. The choice is up to you, and it’s your backyard. There’s no right or wrong way to handle the extra water. There are simply options to consider, and having a water feature when there’s so much water to go around is a logical choice. It can also look really great, and be an excellent focal point when times are drier and people are spending time in the yard.
2). Can you put in additional drainage with rock?
By adding beds of decorative rock around your backyard, you can allow the yard to drain, even when it’s very rainy. You may not have realized there were any drainage issues when you bought your home, but unseasonably rainy weather can bring them to the surface. Even if you would normally never have a problem. a rainy spell can show you if there are any issues around your home or yard. You don’t want there to be a lot of standing water or puddles in your backyard, and to help get rid of that problem you can put plenty of drainage into your landscape design. Using decorative rock around your plants and flowers keeps the weeds down, and putting rock beds along the fence line makes mowing easier, so it helps with more than just rainy weather.
3). What kinds of plants will protect the soil from shifting?
Doing your research on the kinds of plants you want in your backyard can make a very big difference in how you landscape for rainy weather. If you choose natural plants that make sense for your area of the country, they’ll grow better. A local nursery can probably give you information on which kinds of regional or local plants are best to reduce soil erosion, too. You want to buy plants that have big root systems that will spread out through the soil. By having plants like that, you can avoid so much shifting soil that would be carried away by the rain. Then your backyard will look great and the plants that are living there will grow better no matter what kind of weather you’re having, since they’re native to the area and using to the local climate.
4). Is it time to build a wall?
If the yard isn’t fenced or there is a slope, you may want to add a rock or stone wall to help everything drain away from your home and move on from your backyard. Sometimes neighbors don’t realize that what they have done for their own landscaping is affecting someone else. Be sure to be courteous when you create a stone or rock wall, and see where the water will divert to. As long as it’s not headed right for your neighbor or flooding out into the road, you can probably safely move the water away from your backyard. That can prevent standing water and can even help reduce the chances of water getting into your home’s foundation or basement. It’s a great way to keep water at bay and really enjoy your backyard to its fullest.
5). Is grass the right choice for your wet backyard?
If you bought a home with plenty of green grass in your backyard, it might not be the best choice long term. While grass looks great and is fun for people and pets to run around on, it can also hold water. If you have soil that drains well this may be less of an issue, but in areas where the soil is thick and clay-like, you won’t get much water drainage through your grass. If you landscape your yard without the need for grass, or at least reduce how much of it you have, you may see better drainage options. You’ll still be able to get plenty of use from your yard, and your landscaping will look great. You’ll also reduce all the time you would spend mowing the grass, which you can use for all kinds of other, more enjoyable pursuits.
2 Point Highlight
By adding beds of decorative rock around your backyard, you can allow the yard to drain, even when it’s very rainy.
If the yard isn’t fenced or there is a slope, you may want to add a rock or stone wall to help everything drain away from your home and move on from your backyard.
