Southampton & Surrounding Areas

Level 3 Horticulture Qualified

RHS Wisley

Trained

Drainage Solutions

Drainage that is added after a landscaping project is finished is always a compromise. Drainage solutions from Edens Edge landscaping is designed into the layout, the levels and the planting plan from the start, which matters in Southampton where lower lying areas near the Itchen and Test floodplains see ground stay saturated through winter as a consistent seasonal pattern.

Drainage Designed Into the Whole Project

Specified for Your Soil and Ground Levels

Integrated With Hard Landscaping and Planting

Garden Trouble? Let Us Help.

Best Price Guarantee
Every Project Tailored To You

I agree to terms & conditions provided by the company. By providing my phone number, I agree to receive text messages from the business.

Drainage decisions made early in a landscaping project, where the falls go, where water collects, what soil type the planting will sit in, shape everything that follows. Get them wrong and the consequences show up later as patios that pool water, lawns that stay saturated through winter, and planting that fails in ground that was never going to support it. Drainage solutions from Edens Edge landscaping is built into the design and the build from the outset, specified for the soil and ground conditions of the specific Southampton property the project is for.

Has Drainage Been Properly Considered?

Signs Your Southampton Landscaping Project Needs Drainage solutions

The first sign is a property in a lower lying part of Southampton, particularly near the Itchen and Test floodplains, where the ground stays saturated through winter as a recurring pattern rather than an occasional problem after heavy rain. Any landscaping project on a site like this needs the drainage worked out before the layout is finalised, not added once the hard landscaping has been laid and the planting has been put in. Patios, paths and lawns all need a route for water to follow, and on ground that holds water for extended periods through the wetter months, that route needs to be designed in rather than improvised afterward.

The second sign is a project where significant hard surface area is being added or changed, a new patio, a driveway, paths connecting different parts of the garden, and the existing falls and drainage of the site have not been assessed against what the new surfaces will do to how water moves across the property. Adding impermeable surface area changes how much water runs off rather than soaking into the ground, and where that water goes after it leaves the new surface needs to be planned. A project that adds hard surfaces without considering this can end up directing more water toward areas of the garden, or the boundary with a neighbouring property, than was previously the case.

The third sign is a planting scheme that has been designed without reference to the drainage characteristics of the soil it will be planted into. Plants chosen for a border without knowing whether that border sits on heavier, slower draining soil typical of lower lying parts of Southampton or the freer draining soil found in elevated suburbs like Bassett and Portswood will, in many cases, either struggle in conditions that are wetter than they can tolerate, or dry out faster than expected. Drainage solutions as part of a design ensures the planting plan and the drainage plan are produced together, so the species specified are matched to the actual moisture conditions the ground will provide.

How Our Drainage solutions Service Works

Drainage solutions starts with an assessment of the existing site, the soil type, the current levels and falls, and where water currently goes when it rains. In Southampton, this assessment needs to account for the significant variation in ground conditions across the city, from heavier, wetter ground in lower lying areas near the river corridors to freer draining soils in elevated suburbs. Edens Edge landscaping carries out this assessment before any layout decisions are made, because the drainage characteristics of the site affect where hard surfaces, lawns and planting can sensibly go.

The layout and levels of the project are designed with drainage built in from the start. This means setting falls across hard surfaces so water moves toward an appropriate outlet, planning where any French drains, soakaways or channel drains need to sit relative to the rest of the design, and making sure that any change to the existing levels of the site, raising a patio, levelling an area for a lawn, does not create new low points where water will collect that did not exist before.

Where the project includes significant new hard surface area, Edens Edge landscaping considers how that surface changes the overall water balance of the site. More impermeable surface area means more surface water runoff, and where that runoff is directed needs to be planned as part of the design rather than discovered as a problem after the work is finished. Permeable surfacing options and planted areas that can absorb surface water can form part of the drainage solution where appropriate, reducing the volume that needs to be carried away by pipework alone.

Planting within the design is specified to match the drainage characteristics of each part of the site. Areas that will remain wetter, even after drainage improvements, are planted with species that tolerate those conditions. Areas that are freer draining or have been improved through the drainage design are planted accordingly. Edens Edge landscaping's training at RHS Wisley and Sir Harold Hillier Gardens informs these decisions, ensuring the planting plan and the drainage plan work together rather than being produced separately and reconciled afterward.

FAQ's

Frequent Asked Questions

Common questions about Drainage solutions from Edens Edge landscaping, covering Southampton and surrounding areas.

Why does drainage need to be considered at the design stage rather than added later?

Because the layout, the levels and the falls of a landscaping project all interact with drainage, and decisions made about one affect the others. If a patio is laid level without considering where water needs to go, adding drainage afterward means cutting into a finished surface. If planting is chosen before the drainage characteristics of the soil are known, species can be specified that will struggle in the conditions the ground actually provides. Drainage solutions from Edens Edge landscaping is built into the design from the outset, so these elements work together rather than being reconciled after the fact.

How does Southampton's ground affect drainage planning?

Significantly. In lower lying parts of the city near the Itchen and Test floodplains, the ground can stay saturated through winter as a consistent seasonal pattern, which means any new hard landscaping or planting needs to be designed with that in mind. In elevated suburbs like Bassett and Portswood, the soil is generally freer draining, which changes how water moves across the site and what planting will perform well. Edens Edge landscaping assesses the specific soil and ground conditions at every property before any drainage or design decisions are made.

Does adding a new patio or driveway change how my garden drains?

Yes, in most cases. Hard surfaces are largely impermeable, so rain that previously soaked into the ground where the surface now sits will instead run off toward wherever the surface directs it. If a project is adding significant new hard surface area, where that runoff goes needs to be considered as part of the design. Edens Edge landscaping accounts for this when designing hard landscaping, including where permeable surfacing or planted areas that can absorb surface water might form part of the solution.

Can drainage solutions be designed alongside a planting scheme?

Yes, and this is part of what Drainage solutions from Edens Edge landscaping covers. The drainage characteristics of different parts of a garden affect what planting will perform well there. Producing the drainage plan and the planting plan together means species can be matched to the moisture conditions each area will actually have once the drainage work is complete, rather than choosing planting first and then finding it does not suit the ground.

Are you insured and do you have a cancellation policy?

Edens Edge landscaping holds £5m public liability insurance. If you need to cancel a booked visit or project, the cancellation policy allows a full refund with three days notice. For any questions about bookings or to discuss Drainage solutions for your Southampton property, call 07850412717 directly.