Rain Gardens

Rain gardens are • Attractive

• Landscaped areas shaped to capture runoff

• Planted with perennial native plants that do not

mind getting "wet feet"

• Built in a shape that allows

water to percolate

• Amazingly beneficial

Collect

Runoff

&

Pollution

Beautifully

Rain gardens

• Enhance the beauty of

yards and communities

• Provide habitat for birds • Provide habitat for birds

and butterflies

• Help keep water clean by

filtering storm water

• Help alleviate flooding

problems

Step 1: Locate

and Prepare

the Site

• Pick a site for your garden that tends to collect water • Pick a site for your garden that tends to collect water or where runoff from your driveway or downspout can be diverted into it

• Your rain garden should be at least 10 feet away from foundations, underground utilities, and drainfields

• You can also calculate the best spot(s) – there’s lots of help out there!

For Best Results …

Step 2: Your

Design - Select

Your Plants!

» For best results, native plants suitable for your garden’s conditions

» Select a variety of native flowers, ferns, grasses, shrubs and small

trees that will provide color and interest throughout the season

» Group plants together for the most impact; estimate one small plant

per square foot

» Plants also provide food and habitat for birds, butterflies and bees.

• There are many Resources for Garden Design and Plants

• http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/der/riverways/pdf/raingardenfactsheet.pdf

A variety of choiceschoices

Step 3:

Prepare

your Site

� Lay out a rope or garden hose in the shape desired as a guide for diggingguide for digging

� Create the “saucer” contour of the garden. For best infiltration, the bottom of the garden should be level

� Dig the garden; the depth of the depression is generally from 4 to 8” (but sometimes as much as 12”)

� Introduce sand, gravel, peat, etc, that are needed to give proper drainage

� Create a swale to direct water into the garden from a downspout or pavement

Step 4: Get

Out Your

Gloves and

Tools!

�Amend the soil to allow the rain garden to both �Amend the soil to allow the rain garden to both evaporate and slowly drain rain waters

� A roto-tiller or larger equipment may be required

�Volunteers needing to fulfill scout or school service projects may be ready and willing to assist if you’re doing a rain garden for a school, church, or town building!

Step 4:

Maintaining

Your Rain

Garden

Rain Gardens are Easy to Maintain but are not Maintenance Free

� During the first two or three years water and replace plants that did not survive, and/or rearrange plants to wetter or dryer areas if needed.

� Mulch annually to keep soil moist and allow easy infiltration of rain water

2-3 inches of mulch every spring. Use a natural, un-dyed mulch.

� Weed annuallyKeep the plant community diverse and attractive, periodically clear dead vegetation and any debris

Opportunities Abound!

One of my favorites – center of cul de sac!

Opportunities -

Wherever Cars are Parked!

See a Garden in Massachusetts, e.g.:

• Cohasset: Water

Treatment Plant King St.;

along Pond & Arrowood

Streets.

• Plymouth: Town Hall,

Lincoln St.; Stephens

Field; Plimoth

Plantation

• Hull: Weir River Estuary

Center

• Ipswich: IRWA, County

Rd; Partridge Place

• Leominster: Trustees of

Reservations, Lindell Ave.

• Scituate: Scituate High

School; Hughey Rd.

• Wilmington: Eleven

gardens along Silver

Lake Avenue, near Silver

Lake Beach

Many Resources, here’s a few!

• http://www.greenscapes.org/Raingardens

• http://www.greenscapes.org/Page-567.html

• http://www.lowimpactdevelopment.org/raingarden_design/t

emplates.htm

• http://www.thejonahcenter.org/milardogarden.php• http://www.thejonahcenter.org/milardogarden.php

• http://www.groundwater.org/ta/raingardens.html

• http://rainkc.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.search/index.h

tm

• http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/maho/la/la_005.cfm

• http://learningstore.uwex.edu/Rain-Gardens-A-How-to-

Manual-for-Homeowners-P372C82.aspx

• http://www.for-wild.org/download/rainclay/rainclay.html

Opportunities – Adopt an Island

Rain Garden?!?