Hunters Creek Village, one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the Houston area, is well-known for its wooded lots, spacious homes and comfortable lifestyle. Hunters Creek Village landscaping, backdrop and complement to these attributes, has been aided by a city government that completed construction and infrastructure enhancement projects in 2008, including drainage and pavement improvements.

On an individual level, homeowners have undertaken Hunters Creek Village landscaping projects of their own by installing drainage systems on their properties. Good drainage systems move water off your property quickly, thus encouraging healthy plants. Because of the timely removal of standing water, these systems allow your maintenance crew to perform their regular lawn service duties.

Drainage issues can be addressed at several levels and a professional drainage contractor will work with you to devise the solutions that work best for your Hunters Creek Village landscaping. The first place to start is to identify any foundation or gutter drainage issues. It is critical to begin here because of the potential for damage to your home.

French drains might be one answer. They are useful parts of a comprehensive drainage system as they are primarily used to prevent surface and ground water from causing damage to your home’s foundation. French drains are also used behind retaining walls to relieve ground water pressure.

Other elements in a standard drainage system are: channel drains, gutter downspouts and tie-ins, and catch basins. Typically, these components carry water out through the landscape drainage system via a PVC main drain line.

If you have drainage problems around garden beds, you might consider raising the beds since installing a pipe system could interfere with planting or could make the soil unnecessarily dry. The corresponding advantage of raised beds is that they lift your plants out of the waterlogged soil.

Another drainage solution is to look at the soil itself. The Houston area has a thick, clay soil, which, under normal circumstances, is challenging to cultivate. Add to that problem the soil’s compaction due to years of construction and you have a near-impermeable surface. Regular aeration by yourHouston lawn service crew would help immensely.

Developing a comprehensive drainage solution could also be of service to your watering needs. While draining the accumulated water off your yard and onto the street may seem like the most obvious solution, an alternative is to dig a retention pond. It keeps water on your property to be used later by your garden beds, trees and lawn.

It may seem odd to talk about irrigation systems in the same breath as drainage systems, but water is funny that way. Water is a problem whether you have too much of it or too little. An irrigation system, when properly spaced and laid out, helps you more easily care for your lawn and gardens in the absence of natural rain.

So for those times when rain is scarce, as in the summer of 2009, a quality irrigation system can be every bit as important as a quality drainage system. Hunters Creek Village landscaping benefits from both.

Since 1987, Exterior Worlds has provided high-end landscape design and services for the greater Houston area.