Flower gardens typically need well-draining soil so that water doesn't stand and foster mildew growth.
Not all flower beds are created equal. Depending on your soil, you could have well-draining rich soil, sandy soil or compact clay soil. If you have the latter, you have drainage issues and standing water and your flowers aren't getting the liquid nourishment that they require. To fix this problem, you can create a drainage system in the soil. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Scoop off the top layer of soil in the flower beds down to a depth of about 6 inches. Set this soil aside in a wheelbarrow.
2. Mark where flowers are going to be in the flower bed. Use stones or some other object to place the flowers. This will keep you from creating drainage where flowers are to be planted.
3. Dig 6-inch wide trenches. Start at the back of the flower bed if it is up against something such as a house wall, and start at the middle of the flower bed if it is not up against something. The depth of the trenches will vary. Dig them at a slight slope so that the excess water will flow away from the beds slowly. Start the trenches at a depth of 2 inches. Dig out the entire pattern. You want them all over the flower bed, making their way toward on central trench.
4. Dig down further once you have all the trenches dug to a depth of 2 inches. Use a level to help you create a gradual slope. Shoot for a drop of 1 inch every 4 feet. If flowerbeds are big, you might consider splitting the trench grid and having more than one main trench for the others to flow in to. Continue working on the slope until you have all the secondary trenches feeding into the main trench.
5. Dig the main trench down so that it is lower than the feeder trenches and create a slope for it as well, working it out of the flower bed. Once out of the flower bed, you can have the water flow along the garden edging, out into the yard, or install a pipe drain in the ground under the yard and out to the street. To install a pipe, you would need to dig a trench to the street, making sure it sloped down slightly as it went. Put the pipe in the ground and cover it with dirt and grass.
6. Fill the trenches with layers of material. Start with crushed gravel and add course sand.
7. Amend the soil in the wheelbarrow with potting soil and organic material such as leaves and mulch. This will help the garden soil drain a bit better. The added material has also increased the volume of soil you are working with. When you put it back in the garden, the flower beds will be slightly raised.
8. Pick up the rocks marking the plant placements. Use the amended soil to fill in the flower bed. Set the rocks back down. This way you will remember where plants go, and won't mess up the new drainage system.
Tags: flower beds, main trench, This will, against something, depth inches, drainage system, flower against