When you hear the term “landscape,” do you imagine expansive green grounds, curated bushes, and beds of flowers blooming in elaborate patterns? These features are often the end product of landscapers, who focus on using greenery to complement other features on the property. This includes creating a colorful border along a patio or hiding a purposeful slope in the ground to promote drainage. What many people don’t realize is that those functional elements of a property made from concrete or requiring excavation are not performed by landscapers, but instead by specialists known as drainage specialists like Greenway of Nashville. Their scope of work is different and more in-depth than a regular landscaper. If you’re looking for an outdoor expert who can do more than plant trees or create a flower bed, you may want to engage with a drainage specialist.

What Is the Difference Between Landscapers and Drainage Specialists?

While a traditional landscaper focuses on beautifying outdoor spaces through planting greenery such as trees, bushes, and flowers, a landscape contractor focuses on other projects known as hardscapes or drainage solutions. Hardscapes encompass numerous specialties that can be performed on a property, including patios, driveways, and retaining walls. Drainage Solutions encompass specialties such as grading or other stormwater diversion solutions. Installation of patios and driveways are easy to understand but requires niche skills and experience to get it right the first time. Landscape drainage and associated projects of retaining walls and land grading need even more expert knowledge and planning. They entail considerations of function, such as setting a drain at a correct angle so it doesn’t backflow, compared to the more aesthetic goals of a regular landscape project. While traditional landscapers are important and skilled professionals, the combination of function and beauty in the final product of a drainage specialist can have a better return on investment. One major example is creating landscape drainage solutions.

What Is Drainage in Landscaping?

Landscape drainage is a very specialized kind of project as it requires awareness of the options available, the ability to make comprehensive plans for a successful installation, and the knowledge of potential issues or risks such as underground utilities. While there are several approaches, the goal of landscape drainage is to prevent excess water accumulation in an unintended area. This is easy to see after a quick heavy rainfall—puddles or pools of water in a yard that seem to sit there for ages. The risk of overburdening the ground with water is that it affects ground stability and can lead to ongoing erosion or washing away of the area. It also hides hazards such as holes in the ground that could cause injury to someone walking through. Drainage Specialists like Greenway of Nashville are able to assess an area to help you select the best way to address the problem.

One of the most effective forms of landscape drainage is called a swale. This is a gently sloped area that is created in the ground to serve as a natural drain. The low curve is carved to guide water away from an area of collection, providing more surface to disperse it across for even absorption. Similarly, land grading can be done to change the slope of the ground to promote drainage away from your home. In cases where a hill or incline is present, if the lowest point of ground is near your foundation, it will promote water collection there and possibly lead to damage. By having a landscaping contractor use heavy machinery to alter that, you can prevent significant long-term issues such as basement flooding. This would not normally be something a landscaper would be capable of carrying out, but a drainage specialist like Greenway of Nashville performs land grading on a regular basis for clients throughout the Nashville area.

Another common drainage solution can be a French Drain. French Drains are mainly recommended to redirect underground water away from a structure or area. They usually consist of geotextile fabric, a gravel cavity, and PVC pipe to divert the excess water. A drainage specialist like Greenway of Nashville will be able to help with deciding what combination of drainage solutions will best fit your home to protect it.

Landscaping drainage can be supplemented with a retaining wall to prevent erosion of the soil. You’ve likely seen them before and just not realized their purpose. A retaining wall is constructed with material such as brick, block, or poured concrete and serves as a physical block to prevent dirt from washing away with the rain. When water rolls downhill, it carries with it the ground, eventually changing a relatively flat area into a hill or making an existing hill steeper, leading to instability of any nearby structures, including your home. A retaining wall helps maintain the area over the years, preventing long-term issues. As drainage and hardscape contractors, Greenway of Nashville specializes in construction of these walls including the calculation of needed height, length, and materials. It’s not just stacking blocks and crossing your fingers—you have to be certain your wall will achieve the intended goal. Hiring an expert to install a wall prevents costly errors, gets the job done quickly, and provides a guarantee of workmanship. A retaining wall is not an ideal project to do yourself, and hiring a regular landscaper doesn’t provide the structural expertise required for a successful build.

“Work with skilled Nashville hardscaping and outdoor construction professionals who understand your vision and respect your schedule. Contact us for a free quote!”

What Other Installations Do Landscape Contractors Specialize In?

Concrete and brick projects such as driveways, walkways, and patios are some other niche installations that hardscaping contractors are experts in creating. As with many of the drainage solutions mentioned previously, brick and concrete projects require thorough planning, specialized equipment, and specialty skills to carry out a successful installation. These projects are particularly easy for a drainage and hardscape contractor, as they have machinery suited to moving heavy stones, excavating ground, and effectively using concrete. While a landscaper may have some mechanical help, they wouldn’t have the necessary items to pour a driveway or install a patio paver.

As one of the few drainage and hardscape contractors in the area, Greenway of Nashville is uniquely positioned to understand and execute landscape drainage services and other hardscaping projects. With more than 15 years of experience specializing in drainage, driveways, patios, and more, we understand how to design and build a beautiful outdoor space that will last a lifetime. We’re happy to help you assess the situation and provide a free, price-guaranteed quote by contacting us on our website or by calling us at (615) 238-4574.

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