How to Start Your Resilient Garden Journey

Brett Landscaping has been working closely with the Association of SuDS Authorities (ASA), which represents local authorities across England in supporting the delivery of sustainable drainage and providing the best advice for homeowners looking to ensure they have a flood and drought-resilient garden.

While there is a wide range of helpful information available on making your home flood resilient, when it comes to garden spaces and driveways we believe in two principals that underpin rainwater management.

Paving and planting are key to the effective management of water flow around your garden and driveways.

With extreme weather events leading to periods of heavy rain as well as periods of drought, managing water is key to ensuring your property is not overwhelmed.

Paving

Brett Landscaping advises that homeowners should consider the use of concrete block permeable paving systems (such as the Invicta Flow seen here at RHS Tatton Park installation).

These systems are designed to allow water to drain between the blocks, preventing the forming of puddles and controlling the release of excess water back into the environment.

Furthermore, planning permission is rarely required if using concrete block permeable paving, as long as it is installed with a fully permeable sub-base.

Planting

The ASA advises that there are some measures that can be taken to compensate for the lost permeable area and habitat an extended driveway may cause.

• The planting of evergreen hedges along the boundaries of land in preference to fencing assists with surface water management and absorption, but also provides noise reduction improvement in air quality and habitat for wildlife.
• In addition, flood re-insurance scheme FloodRe advises opting for plants such as willow, astilbe, male fern and lady’s smock. These plants are not only inexpensive but also capable of withstanding and recovering from water damage caused by flooding.
• Drought-resistant plants often have fine hair foilage and stems, such as ceanothus, sedum and euphorbia, which all work to reflect rather than absorb the sun and heat.

Jamie Gledhill, our Engineering Technical Manager says:

“We hope that in time permeable surfaces will become ‘the norm’ for homeowners to use on their driveways and garden areas. This will help us all contribute towards responsibly managing surface water from our property by keeping it out of the drainage systems and mimicking natural processes.”

To visualise our Permeable Paving ranges in your outside space click here.