You can help to slow the flow of rainfall into drains by filling your garden with plants. 

Plants and green spaces act like giant sponges. They hold back rainwater, and slowly release it into river courses or back to the sky (a process called ‘evapotranspiration’). Plants are therefore vital in regulating the natural water cycle, and stopping our landscapes from flooding, drying out, or overheating. 

Adding more plants to gardens, and avoiding hard impermeable landscaping (e.g. concrete), can help to manage water, while also creating habitats for wildlife.

The most effective plants to help with water management are those that trap and retain rainfall, reducing the amount of water that rushes towards the drains at one time. It is the rapid downpours and fast movement of rainwater that often overloads our sewage systems or local rivers. 

• Plants with complex three-dimensional structures can help to hold back rainfall from drains. Conifers, grasses and plants with fine leaves and ferny foliage work well at capturing water.

• Once rain has fallen, however, plants can return water to the sky as vapour. The plants with the highest evapotranspiration rates are those that grow rapidly or have large leaves from which water can vaporise. 

In gardens that are prone to flooding, a soakaway area, pond, or swale can help to direct water away from homes. This does not need to be a hidden feature: creating a pond, mini-wetland, bog garden, or even a dry river bed can prove an attractive way of managing water.