If you decide to restore the lawns first, wait until water levels have completely subsided so that you do not leave footprints when you walk on it. The silt and debris that will inevitably have collected on the lawns should be hosed or raked off. The turf should then be aerated using either a garden fork or a mechanical slitter. Some coarse lime-free sand or some other top dressing should then be worked into the holes using a stiff brush and any bold patches should be reseeded.



Flood damage on garden pots and other containers can also be extensive, perhaps destroying years of diligent work. When containers have been flooded, you should raise them onto bricks, gravel or wooden pallets to drain away excess water. To improve drainage, the top 5 - 8 cm of compost should be removed and replaced with fresh compost.

The soil and borders of your garden will also certainly be at risk for flood damage. Flood-sodden soil will make plants unstable and prone to drought in dry spells as it causes shallow rooting. In addition, it encourages slugs and snails and causes plant-root killing diseases such as phytophthora. To restore the soil, you should turn over earth to the depth of your spade, but making sure you are not bringing heavy subsoil to the surface. While doing this you should avoid treading directly on the sodden soil. To achieve this, you can work from boards to avoid compaction or place stepping stones along borders.

If flood damage has been caused by seawater, remember that the effects from the salt will disperse with time. But in the meantime, precious plants that got submerged can be re-planted in new containers after washing off the soil.

While most plants can survive a few days of immersion in water and some flood damage, most will die if left in the cold waterlogged soil because the roots of the plants will lack the oxygen they need to support life. The situation is especially critical if flood damage was caused by salt water. It is recommended that you rescue your most precious plants first. You should fork them out of the soil and heel them into a drier part of the garden after washing out the soil, silt and debris from the roots and foliage. Small plants should be potted up in containers with fresh compost until they are ready to be planted out. When you have vulnerable plants, dig a shallow trench around them to drain water away from their crowns. For the larger shrubs and trees, lightly fork around them as this will help break up surface compaction in addition to relieving local drainage problems.

Other areas of the garden will need to be carefully assessed before you can decide on restoration measures to pursue.