Drip Feed: Slow the Flow - No Need to Mow

Slow the Flow: No Need to Mow 🌧️ 🌱

Scotland’s rain is changing — and your garden might just hold the answer.

In the latest episode of Drip Feed, we explore why heavier, faster downpours are putting our streets, homes and drains under pressure — and the surprisingly simple things we can all do at home to help.

👉 Explore our new campaign at https://www.yourwateryourlife.co.uk/campaign/soakuptherain/  and see how small garden changes can help reduce flood risk.

From rain gardens and water butts to the joy of mowing the lawn a little less often, it’s a friendly chat about a serious issue — with no finger-wagging in sight.

👉 Find out more about the Soak Up The Rain campaign

Why Scotland’s rain is changing

We’ve always known Scotland’s weather is, well… changeable. We call it dreich and just get on with it. But more and more, the rain we’re seeing isn’t the gentle drizzle of old.

Across spring, summer and autumn, we’re experiencing short, sharp downpours — significantly heavier than the volumes we’ve seen in years gone by, particularly in urban areas.

This is climate change. Not in 10, 15 or 20 years’ time — but right now.

👉 Read more about how Scotland’s changing climate is affecting our water network

What is a combined sewer (and why it matters)

Many of Scotland’s drainage systems are what we call combined sewers. That means the water from your toilet, shower and washing machine — and the rain falling on your roof, driveway and garden — all flows into the same network.

When the rain comes down faster than the system was built to handle, the sewer can’t cope. The result?

• Storm water overflows discharging to the environment
• Surface water flooding in streets and gardens
• In the worst cases, sewage backing up into people’s homes

Holding back even a little of that rainwater — at source, before it reaches the sewer — makes a big difference.
👉 Learn how to protect your home from flooding

What is Scottish Water doing about it?

Scottish Water is investing billions in our wastewater network over the next 20 to 25 years — upgrading infrastructure, building new surface water schemes and partnering with councils to help our towns and cities cope with the changing climate.

Recent projects include:

• The Meadows rain gardens, delivered in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council
• A pure surface water scheme in the East End of Glasgow, complete with new ponds and translocated water voles

• SuDS planters in Prestwick, helping homeowners disconnect roof water from the combined sewer

But even with that level of investment, we can’t solve flooding alone. Everyone — households, businesses, communities — has a part to play.

👉 Explore Scottish Water’s investment in wastewater and drainage

What can I do in my garden?

This is where it gets exciting — because the small things really do add up.

In this episode, we’re joined by Brian Cunningham (Head Gardener at Scone Palace, presenter on BBC’s Beechgrove Garden, and the man behind

The Ginger Gairdner). Brian shares some brilliantly simple ideas you could try this weekend:

• Pop a water butt on your downpipe — it stores rain to use on dry days
• Build a small rain garden — a shallow dip planted with hardy perennials that soaks up roof run-off
• Choose permeable surfaces — gravel, planted gaps in paving, or resin-bonded stone instead of solid tarmac or monoblock
• Plant up containers, milk cartons or even mini ponds — kid-friendly, low-cost, and they all help
• Cut your grass less often — let the wildflowers come through (you’ll be amazed what’s hiding in there)

None of it has to be perfect. It’s not about a Bowling-Green lawn or a show garden — it’s about giving the rain somewhere to go.

👉 Get inspired with the RHS guide to rain gardens

The easiest no-budget win

Short on time and money? Here’s the single biggest takeaway from the episode: You don’t need to cut your grass every week. Brian gave us all permission!

Letting your lawn grow a little longer:

• Helps water soak into the soil instead of running off
• Lets wildflowers like clover and self-heal come through
• Supports pollinators and biodiversity in your garden
• Saves you time and effort

A neatly mown edge with a wilder middle gives you the best of both — a tidy frame, and a thriving wee meadow inside it.

👉 See how small changes add up across Scotland

Three takeaways from the episode

If you only remember three things from this conversation:

• The weather is changing — long dry periods and extreme rainfall are the new normal
• It’s not a one-fix problem — big organisations and individuals all have a role to play
• It’s not about perfection — it’s just about doing a little

As Annelies puts it: every small change, multiplied across Scotland’s gardens, streets and communities, adds up to something genuinely powerful.

Find out more

👉 Visit our Soak Up The Rain campaign hub
👉 Read the RHS guide to building a rain garden
👉 Discover Brian Cunningham’s gardening tips at The Ginger Gairdner
👉 Watch BBC’s Beechgrove Garden on iPlayer
👉 Visit Scone Palace gardens, where Brian is Head Gardener

Take action!

This weekend, take five minutes in your garden and ask one question: where does the rain go?
Then pick one small thing — a water butt, a few minutes off the mower, a pot of wildflowers — and give it a go.
Every garden helps Scotland soak up the rain. 🌱

🎧 Listen to Slow the Flow: No Need to Mow on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Like and subscribe for more!