Water Works: Contain Showers with a Rain Garden | HGTV Gardens

This residential rain garden in Washington state is set on land that slopes toward the street at the back so water flows into and out of the water by gravity.

Rain can be a mixed bag. Of course those showers deliver much-needed moisture to the ground and give thirsty plants a drink.? But heavy rain storms can also leave erosion and destruction in their wake. Not to mention that a lot of that precious water often runs right off into the street. That means it?s winding up in the sewer system instead of in your soil, where it should be nurturing your plants.

A rain garden can be a great solution to all of the above problems.??Basically, a rain garden slows down water during a storm,? says Jane Billinghurst, Washington State University Extension Master Gardener of the Year for 2012 and author of five gardening books. The rain garden helps prevent?erosion, helps direct the rain to the local aquifier so it doesn?t get lost down the storm drain, and can even help plants and microbes work together to break down pollutants so that heavy metals end up in the plants? leaves and stems rather than in the soil, says Billinghurst.

The kind of large-scale rain gardens that are used in public areas can be recreated in your home garden to help your plants thrive and to contribute to a healthier water system. Here?s what you need to know:

• According to Billinghurst, proper site preparation and garden design are the most crucial factors in a successful rain garden. She suggests reading a rain garden manual that is specific to your area (search your county or region plus ?rain garden? and see what comes up; Billinghurst says that many guides can be found online as free downloads.) Billinghurst likes the site?12000RainGardens.org.
  

• ?If your site is straightforward, you can certainly design and construct a rain garden yourself ? but if you ?have any concerns about drainage patterns or changing water flow, you should consult an expert to help with the design and placement of the garden,? says Billinghurst. After the garden is designed, constructing and planting is a do-it-yourself job.
  

• Soil in a rain garden needs to be loose and well-draining, says Billinghurst. If yours isn?t, bring in a rain garden soil mix to get your rain garden off to a good start. Mixing compost with your soil when you initially prepare the beds can be a good way to make your soil richer and looser.
  

• Choose plants that thrive in your area, and keep in mind their tolerance for wet and dry conditions.?Each rain garden has three zones which vary from very wet to drier, so choose plants that fit each zone, suggests Billinghurst, who breaks down the zones and suggested plants like this: Zone 1 is lowest, and may be saturated much of the time, so choose plants that naturally are found on the edges of streams and ponds, like rushes or sedges. Zone 2, in the middle, will need plants that can handle both wet and dry conditions, such as ferns and asters. And for Zone 3 ? the transition to the rest of your landscaping ? choose plants that will blend in with surrounding plantings, like ornamental grasses or ground cover.
  

• When mulching, choose a material that absorbs water well and doesn?t float ? Billinghurst recommends arborist wood chips. ?Keep the layer of chips at 3-4 inches, which will require adding chips at least once a year (preferably when the ground is dry.)??As the rain garden matures, leaves and woody debris from the plants in the garden will create an additional layer.?

• Don?t plant edibles in your rain garden! This is especially important if the water coming into the garden comes from a potentially toxic source, like a driveway.
  

• Forget fertilizers and herbicides. ?Rain gardens are self-sustaining systems, and their intent is to remove pollutants from stormwater and not add to pollutant loads,? says Billinghurst.
  

• Weed the garden early, but try to wait until the soil is dry or lay boards to walk on so that you don?t compact the soil.
  

• Dig as little as possible, and irrigate for the first two growing seasons: after that, the plants should be well-established enough to look after themselves and you can enjoy being a lazy rain gardener.

  Every rain garden needs a place for the water to flow out in times of heavy rain.

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Source: http://blog.hgtvgardens.com/contain-showers-with-a-rain-garden/

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