Rain gardens evoke images of flowering beds with gently waving grasses and fluttering pollinators, and that is why homeowners are finding these garden beds an ideal way to collect rainwater that runs off rooftops or lawns and channel it into something beautiful.
The idea behind a rain garden — also known by experts as bioretention — is that it collects this excess water and allows it to soak into the ground rather than pool or create troublesome areas in a yard, says Dan Bailey, president of WikiLawn, a lawn and garden informational website based in Austin, Texas.
“Rain gardens are nice because by holding onto the runoff water, it protects streams and other local bodies of water from having the polluted water, which poisons the local wildlife and poses a potential hazard to the people that live nearby. The vegetation essentially filters the water,” Bailey says.
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What is a Rain Garden?
Rain gardens are typically described as a low, shallow area in a homeowner’s yard or landscaping that collects water. The water can come from a rainfall, diverted off a roof, splashing in from a driveway or running down the street.
Lawn and garden experts tend to advise homeowners to install a rain garden if they have standing water or runoff areas. Rain gardens also have a secondary impact: They can provide food and shelter for wildlife, songbirds and pollinators such as butterflies.
These rain gardens can be small and simple, something the homeowner designs perhaps with help from their local watershed coalition or agriculture extension office. Others can be complex structures that include drainage systems or amended soils — these bioretention areas benefit homeowners with what experts call green infrastructure that benefits outdoor life as well as a homeowner’s enjoyment of their yards.
How to Build a Rain Garden
Experts says homeowners should consider where they put their rain gardens in terms of proximity to their homes. A rain garden should be at least 10 feet from a home’s foundation or a fence. It also should be at least 25 feet from septic systems and wellheads.
The average rain garden is about 70 square feet, but you can go larger if you have the gardening skills and depending on how much water you need to corral. Aim for the rain garden to be 6 to 12 inches deep. The ground also should feature a low or depressed area to capture the runoff water you want to filter or recycle.
Homeowners should check the soil around the site where they want their rain garden. It needs to drain well, so test it to see if it is a good spot. For example, a 12-inch hole filled with water should drain within 24 hours. Mark the area you want to garden, removing any grass. Then, dig to a depth of 6 to 12 inches. Think of the rain garden’s bottom like a bowl — you want the top berm to be higher than the base. Level the bottom and add some landscape fabric to avoid future weeds.
You’ll also want to add some drainage pipe from the water source into the rain garden; this also can remove any overflow to prevent flooding. Add some soil — there are varieties that are specifically tailored for rain gardens — and any necessary amendments to help the plants get started. Now, you’re ready to plant.
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What it Costs to Build a Rain Garden
There are a variety of cost considerations to think about when you add a rain garden. You may need a permit or to think about underground utilities if you live in an urban or suburban area. You also may need to add additional soil, soil additives and plants to the garden, and plants typically cost between $1-$2 per square foot.
Overall, homeowners should expect to spend between $3-$5 per square foot for the average rain garden. A way to reduce costs is to use transplanted plants from around your home or see if your neighbors have plants they’d like to donate or split to add to your rain garden.
“I built a rain garden in my own yard by myself, and the process took me about three days to complete. So, if you hire a contractor or even just get another person to help you, you can get it done pretty quickly,” says Jeremy Yamaguchi, CEO of Lawn Love in San Diego. “I spent about $750 on the project, and on average most people spend somewhere between $500 to $1,600.”
What Plants to Use
Homeowners are advised to plant their rain gardens with a variety of cost-effective and flowering plants, all of which will reduce the runoff from their properties while providing a floral or leafy background. Many rain gardens also include rocks and decorative elements as space allows.
Ideally, a rain garden should include plants that are attractive, easy to maintain, drought tolerant and provide ecological value. This can include trees, perennials, ground cover and plants; native plants are considered best because they will grow well in the given conditions.
It should be no surprise that experts recommend you use plants that enjoy moist soil and are OK with what they call “wet feet” given the possibility of constant moisture. Some examples include cattails, bluebells, iris, swamp milkweed and cardinal flower.
What these plants look like depends on the homeowners, experts say. You can layer the plants to create multiple heights and levels. You could create a perfect cottage rain garden featuring taller shrubs, meadow-worthy plantings that attract birds and butterflies. There’s also an argument to be made for deer-resistant plantings, avoiding unwanted visitors to a homeowner’s yard or other landscape plants.
Once it’s planted, a rain garden needs mulch or moss to keep the weeds out and retain moisture. The garden will need daily watering its first week but homeowners can reduce that schedule over the next few weeks. By a month’s time, the garden should be sustained only by rainfall.
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Pros of a Rain Garden
Rain gardens have a lot of positives, such as reducing water pollution, preventing flooding and helping the environment. For example, communities that invest in rain gardens say they can save millions of dollars in pollution cleanup because of these low-maintenance landscape solutions. A rain garden also can increase a home’s value because of its beauty and practicality.
“My own rain garden effortlessly absorbs runoff from the roof and driveway, enriching the yard’s beauty and attracting hummingbirds, butterflies and frogs,” says Diana Cox, owner of The Gardening Talk, a website devoted to garden education based in Prattville, Alabama.
Cons of a Rain Garden
You will need to weed and water your garden as it becomes established. Homeowners also should expect to mulch the area and prune the included plants annually as well. Rain gardens also need to be installed properly to handle both large and small rains so they can handle any size of rainfall in any particular season. That may mean checking the drainage to ensure a rain garden is prepared for any kind of weather.
“It’s important to note that it does require consistent weeding and dividing of clumping plants every few years,” Cox says.
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How — and Why — You Should Build a Rain Garden originally appeared on usnews.com
