Planting a Rain Garden

Planting a rain garden is one gardener’s way to positively impact the soil and water quality in the local neighborhood. With all the colorful plant choices and ornaments that can be put into a rain garden, it is an easy family project that will quickly become a low maintenance garden.

Low Maintenance Garden Idea

If a gardener is looking for a low maintenance garden, a rain garden should be on the list of considerations. After planting and initially watering in new plants, a rain garden will require very little watering by the gardener. A basic premise of a rain garden is to use the water that drains into the garden naturally.

Rain gardens are located in low-lying plots of land. The goal is to direct and collect rain or snow melt which runs off from high places such as streets, gutters or berms. When the water meanders through the soil and finally into ground water it can bring with it residue such as gasoline and oil, traces of heavy metals, pet waste, fertilizers, and insecticides. Rain gardens use deep-rooted plants that will naturally filter and soak up the collected water.

Deep-Rooted Plants

Deep-rooted plants, such as local native plants, are the best selections for rain gardens. The light conditions of the area for rain garden will guide plant choices, too. A gardener’s plant list might include aster novae angliae, lobelia-cardinal flower, joe-pye weed, great blue lobelia, mertensia virginica, blue or yellow flag or Japanese iris, wild geranium, ostrich fern, viburnum arrowwood, re-osier dogwood, sedges or spiderwort. The river birch, which never seems to be properly located to get enough water, would be an excellent tree for this situation. The edge of the garden can be used for plants preferring a moist but faster draining area.

These gardens can be made into bird or butterfly oases when appropriate plants and feeders are added. A pathway made through the rain garden will add visual interest and a useful walkway for human traffic when the bed is dry.

10,00 Rain Gardens Initiative

A gardener can learn much from looking at landscape plans developing rain gardens with greater purposes. The 10,000 Rain Gardens Initiative, a public initiative in Kansas City, Missouri, started in 1995, is one example. The project’s goal is to create 10,000 rain gardens in the city. The city anticipates this project will reduce the amount of water entering their storm water sewer system. This will help conserve clean water for local communities and reduce residue entering ground water.

Building a rain garden is a useful family project. Rain Gardening in the South is just one book worth reading to get started.