BY LESLIE COX

Special to the Record

I promised more 2024 garden trend reveals in this column and I am picking up the thread regarding impacts on the garden caused by our changing climate. And since we will be heading into what is typically our wet spring months, let’s talk about rain.

I know we have not been the only ones who have experienced some flooding in the home where it does not belong. Not fun. In our case, digging a trench leading away from the house and laying a length of drainage pipe did the trick - likely helped along by the gentle slope of the property.

But how do you deal with an area where the rain gathers in puddles that take a couple of days or more to drain away? This is definitely not healthy for your plants and vegetables. Especially at a time of year when the plants are putting on their growth spurts.

Of paramount concern is the lack of available oxygen for the roots, which can lead to root rot and possibly the death of the plants. If the flooding is coming from overflowing drains, then there is the compound problem of sewage and wastewater, which will ruin your vegetable crop.

Certainly, if you grow your vegetables in raised beds, flooding is not really an issue. But if you do not use raised beds, then you must improve the drainage. Amending your soil with lots of humous will also improve the soil’s ability to drain as quickly as possible.

The same procedures hold true for ornamental beds that flood. But if the size of your garden is such that installing drainage is out of the question, there are some unique design additions that will help to alleviate water pooling. One such, is adding a wadi.

My parents installed a wadi in their Japanese-style back garden. As much of the family property was rock with little soil, the wadi helped greatly in collecting the rainwater and channeling it to an area where more water was beneficial.

Some cities are now turning to wadi-type designs and calling them bioswales, but the principle is still the same. They collect rain and hold it for a short period, which allows the rain to seep into the underground aquifer and, in turn, ups the water reserve level for the health of the larger plants… especially trees.

Makes sense. If we are going to get downpours from the heavens, there is no reason we should let it go to waste in runoff. Or flood our homes. Gather it and hold onto it as long as possible to water our plants.

There are several lovely wadi designs online. I love the one on the University of Maryland Extension website showing a swath of stones running across the crown of a mounded bed. Another swath of loose stones that surrounds the bed holds the water in place long enough for the soil to absorb it. ()

Moving on with the forecasted 2024 garden trends, it seems small space garden design, as well as container gardens will still be popular in 2024. Heck. Do these ever go out of style? With so many more apartments, townhouses and condos being built to accommodate population growth in cities, even the smallest bit of greenery is a blessing to renters and homeowners.

Closing out the ‘Garden Trends for 2024’ report was the colour selection for this year – cyber-lime. That sounds like an eye punch. I am trying to visualize how that vivid hue would blend into my colour scheme. Might have to pass.

Leslie Cox co-owns Growing Concern Cottage Garden in Black Creek. Her website is www.duchessofdirt.ca.