Table of Contents
Create the rain garden by building a berm in a low spot in the yard, then build swales to channel runoff from the gutters and higher parts of the yard. The water is then absorbed into the soil through the network of deep plant roots. Use a mix of plants adapted to your area and to the different water depths.
How deep does a rain garden need to be?
A typical rain garden is between four and eight inches deep. A rain garden more than eight inches deep might pond water too long, look like a hole in the ground, and present a tripping hazard for somebody stepping into it.
What do I need to build a rain garden?
How to Build a Rain Garden Choose the Site. Your rain garden should be located at least 10 feet from the house. Prepare the Soil. Once you’ve identified the new garden’s location, remove the sod and dig a shallow depression approximately 6″ deep. Choose Native Plants. Native plants are the best choice for rain gardens.
How deep should a rain garden be in clay soil?
Determine the garden depth. To avoid drowning plants in clay soils, the garden depth should not exceed 6 inches. Heavy clay soils can be amended with compost to speed drainage. Rain gardens located in more sandy soils can be up to 8 to 12 inches deep.
How much water can a rain garden hold?
If your rain garden (aka swale) is 10′ wide and 8-1/2′ long, its area (10′ x 8.5′) is 85 square feet. So at 12” deep, it will hold about 620 gallons of rainwater. If you dig it down just 6” deep, your rain garden will hold only half of that, or just 310 gallons of water.
Do the rain gardens have standing water?
No. Because rain gardens are shallow and are only built on soils with sufficient drainage, they are designed to dry out before mosquitoes can reproduce. Will my rain garden have standing water? Rain gardens are designed to infiltrate water in about a day.
How much do rain gardens cost?
Cost. The cost associated with installing residential rain gardens average about three to four dollars per square foot, depending on soil conditions and the density and types of plants used in the installation. Commercial, industrial and institutional site costs can range between ten to forty dollars per square foot.
Where should a rain garden be placed?
Your rain garden should be in the spot that’ll supply it with the most rainfall runoff possible. Start by identifying a location that you would like to add a garden. Ideally this location would be downhill from a downspout or paved area, or wherever most of your yard’s rainwater collects and runs off.
Can you plant vegetables in a rain garden?
A specially designed raingarden can even be used to grow vegetables. A vegetable raingarden is a specially prepared garden designed to receive and filter stormwater run-off from roofs. When built in a planter box, a vegetable raingarden can be positioned to collect roof water from a diverted downpipe.
Do rain gardens attract mosquitoes?
Will a Rain Garden Attract Mosquitoes? Water should stand in a rain garden no longer than 24 hours after the rain stops. Mosquitoes cannot complete their breeding cycle in this length of time, so a rain garden should not increase mosquito populations.
Do rain gardens work in clay soil?
An effective rain garden depends on water infiltrating into the soil of the garden. Soils with a lot of clay will infiltrate water very slowly, so the size of a rain garden in clay soils should be 60 percent of the total drainage area.
Is clay soil good for rain garden?
Sandy soils have the fastest infiltration, clay soils have the slowest, and loamy soils are in the middle. Since clay soils take longer to absorb water, rain gardens in clay soil must be bigger than rain gardens in sandy or loamy soil. ✰ If the soil feels very gritty and coarse, you probably have sandy soil.
How do you build a rain garden in clay soil?
Try using a 2:1 ratio of the drainage area to the surface area of your garden (most rain gardens in better soils use approximately a 4:1 ratio). For instance, if your garden will be draining a 200 sq. ft. of rooftop, plan the surface area of your garden to be 100 sq.
How do you maintain a rain garden?
Key Maintenance Tips Water regularly to promote plant growth especially during the first two years and dry spells. Inspect site following rainfall events. Prune and weed to maintain appearance. Replace mulch as needed. Soil fertilization is unnecessary as rain gardens are designed to absorb excess nutrients.
How do you size a rain garden?
Identify the section of roof that will drain into the downspout. Measure the length and width of this area. Take measurements of other hard surfaces such as driveways, parking areas, or sidewalks that may drain into the rain garden. Repeat measurements of lawn that noticeably drain into the proposed rain gar- den.
What are 3 benefits of rain gardens?
Rain garden benefits include pollution control, flooding protection, habitat creation and water conservation.
How effective are rain gardens?
Rain gardens are effective in removing up to 90% of nutrients and chemicals and up to 80% of sediments from the rainwater runoff. Compared to a conventional lawn, rain gardens allow for 30% more water to soak into the ground. Because rain gardens will drain within 12-48 hours, they prevent the breeding of mosquitoes.
How do rain gardens prevent flooding?
Rain gardens fill with stormwater and allow the water to slowly fil- ter into the ground rather than running off into storm drains, and eventually into streams and lakes. Rain gardens reduce peak storm flows, help- ing to prevent stream bank erosion and lower- ing the risk for local flooding.
What are the important parts of a rain garden?
The rain garden consists of a vegetated or stone ponding area, a mulch layer, a planting soil layer, a sand bed, and a gravel base. The multiple layers work together to filter pollutants from water, allowing it to infiltrate into the groundwater supply uncontaminated.
What is a rain garden and how does it work?
A rain garden is a depressed area in the landscape that collects rain water from a roof, driveway or street and allows it to soak into the ground. Planted with grasses and flowering perennials, rain gardens can be a cost effective and beautiful way to reduce runoff from your property.
