It’s the time of year when Spring blooms are bursting out and gardener’s fingers are itching to get back into the dirt. You may be looking at your green expanse of lawn with the vague notion that it could be something… more.
And you’re absolutely right. Your yard can be so much more than grass. And gardens can be so much more than decorative. These days more and more people are turning away from pristinely manicured, carpet-like lawns and embracing beautiful and useful landscaping.
If you’re looking to make such a change to your own yard, building a rain garden is a great way to transform your property. Rain gardens brighten up your yard, prevent flooding and puddles, and even help keep pollution out of your local waterways. And that’s just the beginning.
Why Plant a Rain Garden?
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We turned to the experts at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the City of Durham, NC. These areas of the country have experienced both historic and recent major floods. We can learn a lot from them about rain gardens, how to build them, and why they matter–especially when discussing flooding.
1. They’re Beautiful
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You don’t have to be a sustainability expert or master gardener to appreciate a rain garden. With water-loving flowers like Fireweed, Virginia Bluebells, and Zig Zag Goldenrod, the color alone is a good enough reason to create your own rain garden.
There are an abundance of beautiful plants that like having “wet feet,” or roots that can stay in waterlogged soil for longer periods of time, making them perfect for your rain garden. You’ll want to make sure you’re choosing plants that are appropriate for your area; your local plant nursery or landscape professionals are a great resource if you need a little help.
2. You’ll Attract Bees and Butterflies
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Filling your rain garden with pollinator-friendly, native plants will bring all kinds of beneficial insects to your yard. Common Milkweed, for example, grows naturally in much of the United States and is an important food source for the beautiful (and endangered) monarch butterfly.
These little bugs make a big difference. Almost all of the crop plants we depend on for food rely on pollinators (think grains, fruit, vegetables, and nuts, not to mention all the livestock that depend on these food sources, as well!). If pollinators got a paycheck, the US Forest Service estimates they’d be worth more than 3 trillion dollars globally.
In fact, we just wouldn’t survive without pollinators. And as pollinator habitats become more scarce and fragmented, your pollinator-friendly rain garden will be an even more important food source for the little creatures we depend upon.
3. Water is Gross
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At least, water that has runoff from your driveway and collected oil, fertilizer, and maybe even some pet waste along its way is gross. And all that nasty pollution can end up being carried by the runoff water from your yard straight into your nearby streams and rivers–and eventually the ocean.
But a rain garden acts like a natural filter, pulling out pollutants and bacteria from the water before it has a chance to make it into the waterways. It’s a self-maintaining cleaning system!
4. They Don’t Have to be Complicated
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No degree in landscape architecture? Not a problem. You should put a little planning and forethought into your rain garden before you pick up the shovel, but you don’t need to be an expert, or even have a green thumb.
The most important part of establishing your rain garden will be determining the location and size. It’ll take a little calculating. The EPA offers great resources, along with local guides.
5. They’re Easy to Maintain
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Rain gardens are easy once you have everything planted and thriving.
For the first couple of years, you should plan to water your rain garden, just to help the plants get established. After that, your garden can pretty much take care of itself. Pull out weeds as needed, replace the mulch every three years or so, and that’s it.
6. You’ll Have Less Grass to Mow
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The more of your yard you turn into a rain garden, the less of it you’ll have to mow. That not only saves you precious time but a lot of money on gas and lawn fertilizer. Plus, the less gas you burn mowing, the less atmosphere-warming carbon dioxide you release into the atmosphere.
You can skip feeling guilty about mowing less- while also adding another check in the environmentally-friendly column.
7. They Help Prevent Flooding
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All the roads, sidewalks, paved driveways, and roofs in our cities and neighborhoods have one thing in common: they do not absorb water. (Obviously.) But when it rains, all that water hitting those impervious surfaces creates a lot of runoff.
This can be a particular problem during a big storm, which can cause a sudden surge of runoff water that contributes to erosion and even flooding. Rain gardens help collect and slow that runoff before it becomes an issue. Imagine the difference this can make to neighborhoods where streets and basements are prone to flooding!
8. They Help During Droughts
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Rain gardens are great for any weather extremes, even droughts.
On the flip side of the coin, when it hasn’t rained enough in your area, rain gardens help ensure that water filters back into the ground, instead of running off too quickly into drains. This helps refill local water sources that can get low during droughts.
Ready to Get Started?
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Building your own rain garden will take a little elbow grease, but the benefits will be well worth the effort.
Once you’ve figured out where your garden is going and how big it will be, you’ll need to dig out the bowl that will help your garden collect water–this might be a good time to recruit a friend or two! You’ll want to mix about half of your soil with some compost and sand before adding it back into your garden. The rest of the soil can be used to make a berm around the back side of the garden to help hold the water in.
Short on time? Overwhelmed with the idea of figuring out the best spot for your rain garden? If you are able to put a little extra money towards the project, you can always hire a local landscaper to help you out. In the long term, it’ll certainly be worth the investment to shield your yard from droughts and flooding while making it beautiful.
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