How to Create a Beneficial Rain Garden Step by Step
Your new rain garden will attract many songbirds, butterflies and beneficial insects.
Additionally, rainwater will be directed downward and filtered before being stored in natural underground aquifers.
Rainwater gardens also relieve storm drains, which are often clogged with debris and pollutants, thus assuring us of more clean water.
Step 1 Determine the size that your new rain garden should be by visiting the link at the end of this article.
Mark out your proposed garden with stakes and string according to the size you have determined.
Be sure to check with your local utility companies before digging anywhere on your property.
They'll be glad to come and mark out any pipelines or electric services that you need to avoid.
You don't want to be the cause of a neighborhood blackout! Step 2 Dig out the area to your desired depth, keeping the 'floor' of the rain garden as level as possible.
Use a carpenter's level and a 2"x4" piece of wood to accomplish this by moving it around the 'floor' to determine whether to add or subtract soil.
Step 3 Leave a 'bowl' or low spot that will collect rainwater naturally as you fill your depression with amended clay or sandy soil, or good loam that has passed the drainage test.
Rain Garden Soil Drainage Test: Dig a hole 6" to 12" deep and 4" in diameter; fill with water and let stand for about an hour to presoak your soil; fill the hole with water again and measure the depth with a ruler; wait an hour and measure again.
The water level in the hole should have dropped at least half an inch, if not more, in that time in order to pass the drainage test.
Step 4 Construct your berm by building it up to the desired finished height (as determined by the rain garden size calculator) with soil, flat rocks or sod.
To make sure your berm is as level as possible, pound a long stake into the center of your rain garden.
Measure up the stake 6", or the desired finished berm height, and attach a string at that mark.
Stretch the string out over the berm to find any low or high spots.
Step 5 Make a "V" notch in your berm to provide for water overflow.
Locate this so that the overflow will spill over into your lawn and spread out.
You can fill this notch with gravel so water will filter through easily.
Step 6 Shop for your plants.
Pay attention to their size and width at maturity as noted on the plant tags.
Also make sure their light requirements are the same as the sunlight you have available in your new garden.
Good Plant Choices for Rain Gardens include blue flag iris, blue sage, cardinal flower, coreopsis, black-eyed Susan, sedges and tall grasses, turtlehead, rose mallow, coneflower, marsh milkweed, New England aster and blue lobelia.
Step 7 Install your plants in the new garden, spacing them according to their plant tags.
Use native plants because they are accustomed to your climate and soil condition; and your local birds, butterflies and beneficial insects need them to survive and thrive.
Your local Cooperative Extension Office can help you find more native plants, trees and shrubs.
Step 8 Water your new garden thoroughly to give it a good start, and add mulch.
Weeding may be necessary occasionally to begin with.
After the second year, your plants will fill in and spread, eliminating the need for most weeding.
Step 9 Register your rain garden.
Why register? Rain garden registration sites are able to track the amount of rainfall in your area and calculate how much your garden is absorbing.
That in turn will be added to their database of all registered rain gardens.
This information is vital to monitor the overall health of our planet's water systems.
Register your garden at: raingardenalliance.
org/garden.
Because a vast amount of wetland habitat has been lost to agricultural and urban development, rain gardens have become the focus of many State and local grant programs.
Check with your State's Department of Environment and Conservation to see if they have funds and/or information available to help in your rain garden building efforts.
Determine the size your rain garden should be by visiting raingardenalliance.
org/right/calculator.
Additionally, rainwater will be directed downward and filtered before being stored in natural underground aquifers.
Rainwater gardens also relieve storm drains, which are often clogged with debris and pollutants, thus assuring us of more clean water.
Step 1 Determine the size that your new rain garden should be by visiting the link at the end of this article.
Mark out your proposed garden with stakes and string according to the size you have determined.
Be sure to check with your local utility companies before digging anywhere on your property.
They'll be glad to come and mark out any pipelines or electric services that you need to avoid.
You don't want to be the cause of a neighborhood blackout! Step 2 Dig out the area to your desired depth, keeping the 'floor' of the rain garden as level as possible.
Use a carpenter's level and a 2"x4" piece of wood to accomplish this by moving it around the 'floor' to determine whether to add or subtract soil.
Step 3 Leave a 'bowl' or low spot that will collect rainwater naturally as you fill your depression with amended clay or sandy soil, or good loam that has passed the drainage test.
Rain Garden Soil Drainage Test: Dig a hole 6" to 12" deep and 4" in diameter; fill with water and let stand for about an hour to presoak your soil; fill the hole with water again and measure the depth with a ruler; wait an hour and measure again.
The water level in the hole should have dropped at least half an inch, if not more, in that time in order to pass the drainage test.
Step 4 Construct your berm by building it up to the desired finished height (as determined by the rain garden size calculator) with soil, flat rocks or sod.
To make sure your berm is as level as possible, pound a long stake into the center of your rain garden.
Measure up the stake 6", or the desired finished berm height, and attach a string at that mark.
Stretch the string out over the berm to find any low or high spots.
Step 5 Make a "V" notch in your berm to provide for water overflow.
Locate this so that the overflow will spill over into your lawn and spread out.
You can fill this notch with gravel so water will filter through easily.
Step 6 Shop for your plants.
Pay attention to their size and width at maturity as noted on the plant tags.
Also make sure their light requirements are the same as the sunlight you have available in your new garden.
Good Plant Choices for Rain Gardens include blue flag iris, blue sage, cardinal flower, coreopsis, black-eyed Susan, sedges and tall grasses, turtlehead, rose mallow, coneflower, marsh milkweed, New England aster and blue lobelia.
Step 7 Install your plants in the new garden, spacing them according to their plant tags.
Use native plants because they are accustomed to your climate and soil condition; and your local birds, butterflies and beneficial insects need them to survive and thrive.
Your local Cooperative Extension Office can help you find more native plants, trees and shrubs.
Step 8 Water your new garden thoroughly to give it a good start, and add mulch.
Weeding may be necessary occasionally to begin with.
After the second year, your plants will fill in and spread, eliminating the need for most weeding.
Step 9 Register your rain garden.
Why register? Rain garden registration sites are able to track the amount of rainfall in your area and calculate how much your garden is absorbing.
That in turn will be added to their database of all registered rain gardens.
This information is vital to monitor the overall health of our planet's water systems.
Register your garden at: raingardenalliance.
org/garden.
Because a vast amount of wetland habitat has been lost to agricultural and urban development, rain gardens have become the focus of many State and local grant programs.
Check with your State's Department of Environment and Conservation to see if they have funds and/or information available to help in your rain garden building efforts.
Determine the size your rain garden should be by visiting raingardenalliance.
org/right/calculator.