31 May Rain Gardens
What is a Rain Garden?
A rain garden is an attractive, landscaped area planted with perennial native plants which don’t mind getting “wet feet.” They capture runoff from impervious areas such as roofs and driveways and allow it to seep slowly into the ground. They help to preserve nearby streams and lakes by reducing the amount of runoff and filtering pollutants. Built in a bowl shape, a rain garden is designed to increase infiltration allowing rain and snowmelt to seep naturally into the ground. Benefits of rain gardens are multiple: They
recharge groundwater supply, prevent water quality problems, provide habitat for birds and butterflies, and are great looking landscape features.
How to be a good citizen in our watershed community:
Everyone lives in a watershed. You, as well as everyone in your watershed, are part of the watershed community. Animals, birds, and fish are part of it too. You influence the health of your watershed, good or bad, by how you treat its natural resources. You can maintain the health of our watershed by installing rain gardens on your own property.
Planting a rain garden may seem like a small thing , but if you calculate the amount of rain that runs off your property, you might be surprised. Every drop counts. Rain gardens capture rain that usually runs off your property and allows it time to soak into the ground. This helps minimize run-off and help reduce the amount of non-point source pollution that enters our waterways. Keeping rain where it falls, by directing it to a rain garden, is a natural solution to water pollution.
Rain Garden Manual for Homeowners
There is an excellent “Rain Garden Manual” available for download here.
This manual is a technical guide for those who are really interested in taking the steps to implement a rain garden. Topics discussed in the manual include: Placing and Sizing Your Rain Garden, Determining the Depth and Drainage Area of Your Garden, and a Suggested Plant List for Your Rain Garden. Other technical topics explained include soil type, slope consideration and garden shape. After planning the rain garden, the manual outlines instructions for site preparation, digging, and planting native species. Short and
long term maintenance suggestions are also provided.