If your current planting goals involve plants that require
good water drainage, I am sure you know how frustrating it is to have a yard
that just won’t cooperate. Some plants can handle the excess water that comes
about from being in an area that doesn’t drain properly. In fact, it might just
cause them to bloom more lushly. However, other plants don’t cope as well, and
it will cause them to die a gruesome, bloated death. You should always find out
about the drainage required for every plant you buy, and make sure that it
won’t conflict with any of the areas you are considering planting it in.
In order to test how much water your designated patch of
soil will retain, dig a hole approximately ten inches deep. Fill it with water,
and come back in a day when all the water had disappeared. Fill it back up
again. If the 2nd hole full of water isn’t gone in 10 hours, your soil has a
low saturation point. This means that when water soaks into it, it will stick
around for a long time before dissipating. This is unacceptable for almost any
plant, and you are going to have to do something to remedy it if you want your
plants to survive.
The usual method for improving drainage in your garden is to
create a raised bed. This involves creating a border for a small bed, and
adding enough soil and compost to it to raise it above the rest of the yard by
at least 5 inches.
