Water is essential for our lives, our ecosystems, and our landscapes. Thankfully, Mother Nature offers plenty of water for free. But rain events can cause problems in our yards and gardens (and beyond) when water runs or pools in undesirable places.
Uncontrolled water runoff pollutes local waterways by carrying fertilizer, pesticides, pet waste, gasoline, and other contaminants into bodies of water. This is harmful to marine life, plants, wildlife, and people. Runoff also causes soil erosion and can wreak havoc via basement flooding or structural damage to our homes and buildings, among other issues.
In the Cincinnati region, we typically receive around 44” of rain and 15” of snow each year, and our hilly area is especially prone to runoff issues. All of this means it’s necessary to plan for proper drainage across your landscape.
The good news? Natural landscaping can help solve water management issues.
At Our Land Organics, we regularly employ a variety of ecologically sound strategies to manage water and solve drainage issues in residential and commercial landscapes. These approaches include lawn alternatives such as native meadows and prairies, dry creeks, bioswales, permeable hardscapes, rain gardens, rain barrels, and more.
Ecological Landscaping: Drainage Solutions
While the right solution is always site-specific, here’s an overview of just some of the many ways ecological landscaping strategies could help solve drainage headaches.