Moving the water off a yard that would not drain

Water was collecting against the front of the house and running across the lawn every time it rained, leaving bare ground where the grass had given up. Drainage problems rarely fix themselves, and planting over one only hides it for a season.

We regraded the affected ground and cut in a river rock channel edged with cobble, taking the water from the downspouts and the high side of the yard out past the beds and away from the foundation. The beds either side were reset and remulched once the channel was in.

Drainage and erosion control is its own service for a reason. Drains, grading and retaining walls all do the same job in different situations, and the right answer depends entirely on where the water is actually coming from.