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| This rain garden filters runoff from the parking lot before it drains into the pond below. |
Rain gardens are healthy for the environment because their purpose is to slow, capture, and filter polluted runoff water before it seeps into the ground. Instead of heading directly into storm drains and consequently into lakes and rivers, the water is naturally cleaned as it is filtered through the soil. Lawns are often too compacted to absorb the water quickly, but the soil in rain gardens is soft and easily permeated.
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This rain garden collects and filters water that runs off from the street.
Photo courtesy of Jim Schussler, BNIM
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Rain gardens should be located in areas where runoff is a problem, such as next to the street, at the roof’s edge, or alongside a driveway. Be sure the garden dips at the center so water can collect there.
As more and more people become interested in creating rain gardens, much more information is becoming available on the internet. Here are a few places you might want to look for further details:
Native and water loving plants are perfect for rain gardens. A few to try are: Sweet Flag (Acorus), Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium), Butterfly Weed (Asclepias incarnata), Siberian Iris, Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis), and Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia).
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