If you live in an area that experiences bouts of heavy rainfall and have noticed some flooding in your home's basement, you may wonder if your yard has a problem with draining off excess water. If so, look for the following signs that your home's landscape has serious drainage problems.

Water Collects in Your Yard Whenever It Rains

Unless you have a small pond on your property or a creek that flows through it, you should not have water collect in any areas of your yard every time it rains. However, if you notice that large puddles form even when your area has a light rain shower, the ground is probably not properly draining off the water.

Depending on the type of soil in your yard and the topography, your landscape may be prone to valleys on the surface that has soil which cannot soak up a lot of water. As a result, large puddles and even small ponds will form because the water does not drain off.

Gullies and Ditches Form during Heavy Storms

Even if some water does drain away from your yard, there may only be a few areas that allow for easy flow. Because the water always travels to these low-lying spots, gullies and ditches may form, especially during heavy storms.

Every time large amounts of water pass through these gullies and ditches, more soil is eroded and carried away from your yard. As a result, the nutrient-rich topsoil is removed along with the water, leaving you with soil that is usually denser and even clay-like, making it difficult to grow plants.

Plants Move Across the Yard

If you pride yourself on your flower beds or plots of vegetables, the soil erosion caused by poor drainage on your property can have more of an effect on the plants than just stripping away the nutrients they need to grow. If the drainage problem is bad enough, you may start seeing your valuable plants start moving across the yard.

As more soil is eroded, the top layers become looser. As a result, whenever there is a heavy rainfall that washes away this soil, the force can carry the plants several inches. Not only does this mess up your landscaping scheme, but it also causes damage to the roots, potentially setting back or even killing your plants.

If you have noticed any of the above signs, your home's property has some serious drainage issues that may require professional help. Contact a business that offers installation of stormwater systems to discuss your options for getting your landscape's water problem under control.