“64% of all properties in Houston…have a chance of being severely affected by flooding over the next 30 years,” studies predict. For many Houstonians, this fact feels frightening and might seem like an inescapable side-effect of living in this city; however, it is preventable.
One of the reasons Houston floods so quickly and so dramatically is because of its clay-like soil and abundance of paved areas. “Paved land generates five times more runoff,” researchers say. As it rains, water has trouble penetrating the dense soil, and therefore more flooding occurs. When water falls on concrete, it cannot be absorbed into the ground like nature intended. The question of how to fight flooding is highly debated. The City of Houston responds to this question by spending $53.2 million on drainage expansion and detention basins. While these concrete containment measures might work for now, they are not beneficial to the environment and will always require expansion at the rapid rate that Houston is growing.
The more effective and greener option is to utilize native plants to lessen the severity of flooding. A native plant is defined as a plant that occurs naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, or habitat without human introduction, usually tending to be better suited to its environment than non-native species. In general, one of the functions of a plant’s root system is to help loosen the soil, allowing more water to enter the ground. The longer the plants’ roots, the greater the ability it has to retain water. Studies have shown that native plants are better suited to absorb more water and reduce runoff and erosion.
Long before civilization, Houston was originally a prairie that housed many native prairie grasses, such as gulf muhly, with roots measuring up to 5-10 feet long. However, this is not commonly planted in residential areas. Instead, Bermudagrass tends to be favored. Bermudagrass, a non-native grass and one of the most common and abundant grasses in Houstonians’ yards, has roots measuring around 6 inches long, preventing it from being highly effective at flood control. Flooding is so dramatic in residential areas because of the predominance of non-native species, like bermudagrass, along with concrete and artificial turf.
The Exploration Green Conservancy is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping flood control ‘go green’ by creating retention ponds that not only hold rainwater but support thousands of native plants and provide public walking trails. These flood control basins are like the ones the City of Houston created; however, they support wildlife, sustain native plants, and beautify the city. While these green initiatives might appear to be operated on a large scale, it is also possible for anyone to do this in their backyard.
Catherine Lee Clarke, founder of native plant business, Rusty Dog Gardens, switched to native plants in 2019 and started Rusty Dog Gardens during COVID-19. During the process of converting her yard to native species, she found it was very difficult to source the plants.
After trying to get ahold of native plants for her yard, she realized that “the nursery industry is broken — this is not working.” This led her to start her business which specialises in native landscape design and distribution and growing of native plants. “You have to meet the customer where they are…I might have been willing to wake up at 6 a.m. to drive and buy plants, but not everyone is,” she said.
While embarking on this journey she has been met with nothing but support. “I was worried about barging in…but the industry is very supportive,” she recounts. “Whenever I tell people about native plants, they get excited, they want to start,” she shares.
The drastic flooding during Hurricane Harvey in 2017 was a wake up call for many Houstonians, and flood prevention became a more relevant issue in our society. So, perhaps if Houstonians pick up some native grasses from local businesses including Buchanan’s Native Plants, or the Native Plant Society get planting, and remember Catherine Clarke’s wise words, “Don’t be afraid to start and fail, and pay attention to soil,” Houston might just see a change for the better surrounding flood damages.
