Rain gardens are just like regular gardens, except that they are sunken several inches in order to allow stormwater runoff to soak into the ground instead of flowing into storm drains and ultimately into streams. They provide numerous environmental benefits as well as solving water problems. Runoff causes erosion, pollution, and flooding. Rain gardens help to minimize these negative impacts as well as enhance the beauty of a property.
Basic components of a rain garden include: a stormwater source such as a downspout; an energy dissipater such as a splash pad or river rock; special soil to store runoff water during a storm and is able drain within 24 hours; plants that are both drought and wet tolerant; and an overflow plan for when a larger storm may fill up beyond the rain garden’s capacity.
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| Basic components of a rain garden. |
Contact us if you have any questions about rain gardens and how we can help you design one.
Below, are before and after photos of the rain gardens we designed at Seven Springs.
As you can see, the water from the downspout helped create erosion problems on the hillside.
A dry riverbed was created to direct the runoff from the downspout into the gardens.
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| Before |
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| The first rain garden is dug. The second is marked in paint. |
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| Filter fabric prevents weeds from growing through the rock. |
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| The end result is a beautiful hillside planting that includes two rain gardens. |
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