Strategically planting and maintaining gardens can help slow the spread of rainwater, reducing flooding risks in the area. When working in your garden, see the below tips to prepare your plot for wet weather:

• Keep grasses a bit taller through spring. This allows a deeper root system to develop, slowing rainwater as it spreads.
• Don't allow exposed soil to entirely dry out. Overly dry soils are not as good at soaking up water when compared to soils with even a small amount of moisture. If it's been dry and a large storm is predicted, add a touch of water to exposed soil before the storm.
• Loosen clay-heavy soils. If your soil is very dense, water can't soak into the ground as well. Use a spade to loosen hard-packed soils and consider mixing in looser garden soil to allow the ground to absorb the water better.
• Choose native plants and ones known to be helpful controlling runoff, like Coneflower (pictured in this article), Brown-eyed Susan, Beebalm, and Christmas Fern. There are options for garden-friendly shrubs and trees too!

Visit our Help Manage Stormwater website for more everyday actions you can take on your property to help manage rainwater.