RAIN GARDENS
What are Rain Gardens?
Rain gardens save money, passively irrigate your landscape, & recharge your aquifer.
Rain gardens slow, spread, & sink rainwater by pooling water in landscape depressions, thereby allowing water to collect, stop, & sink into the earth. In turn, this helps save money, irrigates your landscape, & recharges your local aquifer!
Initial trench is dug.
Gravel layers are placed in the trench.
Rain garden construction is complete! The garden will fill out as new plants establish.
Rain gardens can catch overflow from roofs via water catchment systems!
Rain gardens can be critical at the bottom of slopes, where they collect fast-moving runoff to slow, spread & sink water.
By facilitating the sinking of rainwater into the earth, aquifers are replenished & recharged! This fills our streams and helps keep our waterways healthy.
DO:
DO slope the ground away from the building towards the rain garden at 2% slope.
DO slope the sides of the rain garden at a 3:1 slope.
DO make the rain garden 6” to 18” deep.
DO use Climate Appropriate Plants that don’t need irrigation after establishment. Species that grow natively in dry creeks are well suited to rain gardens.
DO place plants that prefer more moisture at the bottom of the rain garden.
DO call 811 before you dig! Always call first to identify underground utilities before you dig.
DON’T:
DO NOT make rain garden too deep.
DO NOT put rain garden within drip line of existing trees.
DO NOT create a slope moving away from the rain garden.
DO NOT put your rain garden over a septic.
Multiple Benefits
FIRE RESILIENCE
FOOD SECURITY
GROUNDWATER RECHARGE
EXTREME HEAT REDUCTION
HEALTHY COMMUNITIES
Related Tools
Climate Appropriate Plantings
Mulching
Greywater - Laundry to Landscape
Pollinator Corridors
Greywater - Sink/Shower
Rainwater Harvesting