Rain Gardens

Rain gardens are becoming popular and are very good for the environment.

Rain gardens look like other gardens except these beauties are sewn into slight depressions, usually two to six inches deep. They collect rain slowly, allowing it to saturate the earth below the garden, decreasing runoff. They offer a lovely and earth-friendly alternative to shallow plantings and impervious turf grass.

These gardens usually collect rain from roofs and downspouts. Rain water may sit for a couple of days in a rain garden before the soil below and the plants completely absorb it.

This standing water means two things. First, plants that rot easily won’t work in a rain garden. Secondly, and importantly, rain gardens don’t provide standing water long enough for mosquitoes to breed. (They need several days of water to hatch.)

While many plants will thrive in a rain garden, plants with long roots are the better choice. Plants like sunflower, purple coneflower, bug blue stem, Indian grass and black eyed susan will grow with little maintenance. These beds of plants may require maintenance beyond occasional spot weeding.

To make a rain garden look lovely, gardeners should consider the height and width of plants when fully grown. Be careful about planting too close together.

Rain gardens could have a huge, positive impact on storm run off water in the future. Rain gardens are eco-friendly and easy to build and maintain.