Need help with my garden after the flood

TLDR My garden was flooded is there any chance it can be saved or do I need to restart

Hello everyone

Because of the weather today my garden ended up with about 1.5m of water in it for several hours I have to say my ducks enjoyed it (picture included) The garden was pretty basic with lots of stones and rubble from an old railway line I have been trying to clear for the past 6 months I recently seeded one area, which is shaded, and now it’s just a muddy mess

My main worry is that the garden has this strange tendency to turn back to mud and I’m really afraid that when the water settles all my grass will be dead

I’m thinking about using topsoil and turf but would love some advice

Just to let you all know my chickens and ducks are fine

Wow that’s a mess You should really keep Augustus Gloop away from it

Does this happen often or is it near a river Maybe you could plant some wetland trees and set up some strong drainage

Pace said:
Wow that’s a mess You should really keep Augustus Gloop away from it

Does this happen often or is it near a river Maybe you could plant some wetland trees and set up some strong drainage

This is the first time it flooded here Normally the water stays on the other side of the bridge but today was just really bad for some reason

@Oakley
It’s warming up 1.5 degrees Celsius means there’s 11% more water in the air

Koa said:
@Oakley
It’s warming up 1.5 degrees Celsius means there’s 11% more water in the air

Don’t bring that up in the comments over at the newspaper They are serious deniers

@Oakley
Climate change is the reason It might get worse as time goes on I think planting some water loving plants or trees like willows or alders could help Maybe consider a pond too Let it be wet if it needs to be If you build a flood wall, the water will just build up and go elsewhere If you do any major work like that, you might need permission since it affects a natural watercourse and could cause problems downstream

@Shane
This is really good advice Since your garden is so large, creating a wet woodland area might be a good plan like you suggested with willows, alders, and a nice layer of grass underneath The higher areas could still look like a garden and the trees might actually help with draining

@Sage
Definitely going to add that to my plans I really love wet woodlands and wetlands

Oakley said:
@Sage
Definitely going to add that to my plans I really love wet woodlands and wetlands

Trees absorb a lot of water and can help prevent flooding A lot of people worry about them in gardens but if you have space they could really help

Looks like someone knocked over their Sports Direct mug

You should think about flood defenses for your house With politicians and businesses ignoring the climate crisis your house is at higher risk of flooding Could happen as soon as next year

I’ve managed gardens that have been flooded for three months and surprisingly we didn’t lose as much as we thought The biggest issues were with silt that collects afterwards and of course the fear of it happening again As for your grass, if it’s established, with how fast the water comes and how deep it gets it might come back It can be a good thing in a way because silt can enrich the soil I really recommend Limagrain MM50 for its quick germination and tough growth Looking forward, the best defense might be to raise the ground so it is higher than the flood waters

@Lex
Thank you for that tip about the grass seed That’s really helpful

Oakley said:
@Lex
Thank you for that tip about the grass seed That’s really helpful

It’s the best seed I know of There’s a website called greencare where you can buy it without having to get 20kg

You might want to set up a berm and swale Have you every wanted to operate a mini excavator Because now you have the perfect reason

Rowan said:
You might want to set up a berm and swale Have you every wanted to operate a mini excavator Because now you have the perfect reason

Look at the size of that garden You could probably hire someone to do it

@Sage
Where’s the fun in that

Rowan said:
@Sage
Where’s the fun in that

Good point

I’m guessing there’s a river or stream behind your garden

@Devlin
Sorry I missed this I live in Herefordshire so not quite in the southwest