Tips On Creating The Perfect Rain Garden
Tips On Creating The Perfect Rain Garden
A rain garden is a special type of garden, designed to collect stormwater runoff from a roof, driveway or other impervious surfaces. There are many benefits to developing and creating a rain garden. The benefits include water conservation, protecting rivers and streams, reduced mosquito breeding, and more. Adding a rain garden to your yard will also provide food and shelter for wildlife, and give you a whole new garden that’s hardy, low maintenance and naturally beautiful! Today’s article includes tips on creating the perfect rain garden.
- Build the rain garden at least ten feet from your house. A good spot is somewhere downhill that often collects water after a rainstorm. It should also be somewhere that has natural all day sunlight, or at least half a day bright natural sunlight.
- A good size for a rain garden is 100 to 330 feet. To calculate the ideal size for a rain garden, you should base it on the surface area of your roof, soil type and the garden’s distance from your house. Mark out the shape of the garden with rope or twine. This can be an excellent visual aid.
Native plants grow the best with rain gardens. These are hardy plants that require little care. You can also add ornamental grasses and perennial wildflowers to inhibit weed growth and resist erosion.
The location of the rain garden should be somewhere that isn’t going to collect water near a sewer, road, or sidewalk.
You should dig about 6 inches deep and create a bean-like shape with a gradual slope.
Add some compost to provide some support for the new plants you will be growing.
Adding a layer of mulch will assist the new plants in establishing roots and also helping in holding in moisture.
Check out this video from This Old House on creating the perfect rain garden. We can also be contacted at 860-742-0326 for more information.