Rain Gardens and Stormwater Solutions

Selected theme: Rain Gardens and Stormwater Solutions. Discover practical ideas, inspiring stories, and science-backed tips to capture rainfall, reduce flooding, and turn stormwater into a resilient, beautiful landscape feature you’ll love. Subscribe for seasonal plant lists, and share your questions to get tailored advice.

Why Rain Gardens Matter

When rain hits roofs and driveways, it rushes toward drains, picking up oil, fertilizers, and grit. A well-placed rain garden interrupts that sprint, settling sediments and filtering pollutants before they reach creeks, lakes, and beaches.

Designing a Rain Garden That Works

Choosing the site and mapping drainage

Watch a storm. Trace roof downspouts, driveway slopes, and lawn depressions. Place the garden at least ten feet from foundations, away from septic fields, and slightly downslope from sources so gravity delivers water without pumps.

Sizing, depth, and soil amendments

As a rule of thumb, size the garden to roughly ten to twenty percent of the drainage area, with a bowl depth of three to six inches. Mix compost and sand to boost infiltration without collapsing structure.

Inlets, outlets, and safe overflow paths

Create a sturdy inlet—splash rocks, a short swale, or a downspout extension—to spread water gently. Include a defined overflow notch or pipe leading to lawn or street, preventing erosion during rare, intense cloudbursts.

Deep roots that drink and stabilize

Switchgrass, little bluestem, and fox sedge send roots deep, creating channels that welcome stormwater. Those underground networks resist drought, anchor slopes, and keep the bowl’s sidewalls intact during heavy flows and spring thaws.

Learn More

Seasonal color and structural interest

Coneflower, Joe-Pye weed, and blue flag iris bring waves of color from spring to frost. Mix heights and textures—tufted grasses, tall blooms, seedheads—to maintain structure through winter and provide habitat when gardens typically lie quiet.

Learn More

Host plants for butterflies and beneficials

Milkweed feeds monarch caterpillars, goldenrod hosts dozens of native insects, and asters fuel late-season bees. Choose pesticide-free stock, plant densely, and leave stems standing until spring to shelter overwintering pollinators and tiny predators.

Learn More

From Sketch to Shovel: Building Step by Step

Outline the bowl with a hose, mark the overflow notch, and remove turf. Dig gradually, checking level with a board and bubble. Use excavated soil to build a downstream berm that makes the basin function.

From Sketch to Shovel: Building Step by Step

Blend compost into subsoil, rake smooth, and compact the berm in thin lifts to prevent blowouts. Plant in groups of three to five, water deeply, and finish with shredded hardwood mulch that won’t float away.

From Sketch to Shovel: Building Step by Step

Extend downspouts with pipe or swale to the garden inlet. Add a small stone forebay to trap grit. Clean it seasonally, and post a discrete marker so snowplows and mowers steer clear.

From Sketch to Shovel: Building Step by Step

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Beyond the Basin: Smart Stormwater Strategies

Replace solid concrete with permeable pavers, porous asphalt, or open-jointed flagstone on a well-drained base. Vac or blow debris to keep pores open, and direct overflow toward the rain garden for polishing and infiltration.

Beyond the Basin: Smart Stormwater Strategies

Capture roof runoff for watering during dry spells. Fit barrels with leaf screens, overflow hoses, and secure bases. Use the outflow to irrigate the rain garden slowly, extending soak time without increasing peak discharge.

Beyond the Basin: Smart Stormwater Strategies

On larger sites, bioswales convey water between features, trees intercept rainfall, and green roofs delay runoff. Each element complements the garden, spreading storage across the property like a coordinated, living infrastructure.