Rain Gardening

21 years ago

This spring I took a class on the topic of Rain Gardening which focused on water conservation with plants. The main concept was that with urban sprawl we are losing our forests and creating more impermeable surfaces. When it does rain, the water rushes into the storm water drains (with all the pollutants) which dump into the rivers which dump into the ocean. So, the new concept promoted by the VA Forestry Department is to prevent the water from getting into the storm water drains by creating Rain Gardens. These gardens are built in low areas where water collects after a heavy rain. The garden is planted with water-tolerant native plants and trees with lots of mulch. It's also designed to hold standing water for no more than 3 days to prevent mosquito problems. When a heavy rain occurs, the water is trapped in the rain garden where it soaks back into the ground. The pollutants are prevented from entering the water system and although they are isolated to the rain garden many of the native plants can break down such chemicals. (phytoremediation)

The VA Forestry is really trying to get developers to consider this idea in place of the normal concrete storm water systems they build such as with large shopping centers. As Fresh water is becoming a scarce natural resource ideas like this will help to filter rain back into the water table and will create more natural areas in urban settings. And ideas like this will no doubt ease the effects of droughts.

Here is a link that might be useful: VA Forestry Dept. - Rain Gardens

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

hollyk
21 years ago
Sounds like a great idea, as long as a drought doesn't follow it, or thsoe water-loving plants will be as dry as can be!
stitches216
21 years ago
Definitely a step in the right direction. Thanks MountainMan for sharing. I might take that class or one like it, too!

Shortly after moving into my neighborhood a little over 2 years ago, I took a walk among all the newly developed housing. My "eyeball estimate" was that in our particular area, 40 percent (or more) of the land mass was under pavements and rooftops. The land was formerly a seasonally swampy prairie, with scattered sparse trees or woodland atop practically bottomless clay.

So much of what rainwater once soaked in or sat stagnant, now is being added to the crowding in drainage systems for gravity-assisted throw-away into the Gulf of Mexico.

The old ecosystem is history. (I "rescued" a few of the wildflowers before the bulldozers wiped them out.) But there seem to be many, many things that we new residents could do, to restore the retention-to-runoff ratio to some semblance of the old system. Happy to hear my most recent former state of Virginia is out in front!
Related Discussions
Mystery Rain Garden Plant at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden
Q
Comments (3)
If you are interested in rain gardens, I am going to invite my Master Rain Gardener class to post in the Great Lakes Gardening forum here. Please come and help out newbie rain gardeners! I'd love your support and help from experienced gardeners. Sometimes the questions are general gardening, like how to remove sod, or other general questions. Your comments are welcome!
...See More
Is a Rain Garden a Bog Garden?
Q
Comments (8)
Hi Hergrammy, The short answer. No. Rain gardens are not bogs. The long answer. Bogs have water in them all of the time. Bogs are usually composed of a sphagnum moss substrate (not dirt), are acidic, and are nutrient poor (no runoff from a fertilized lawn). Bogs are not a good solution for your problem. On the other hand, rain gardens are perfect for the situation that you described (rapid lawn runoff where you can't grow lawn). Check with your local University Extension office or Master Gardener group for a list of rain garden plants in your area. They will also have a brochure on how to construct a rain garden. With that said, let me give you a brief overview of the concept. At the low spot in your yard, you want to essentially dig a wide pit. You want to trap most of the runoff after a rain event. The floor of the pit should be level (you need to measure this with a level and dig out the high spots with a shovel). The low spot of your pit should be about 3 - 6 inches below grade (you want the water to pool). The shape of the rain garden can be rectangular or kidney shaped. It should be sized to about 20 percent of your roof area. That is, if your roof is 1,000 square feet then the rain garden should be at least 200 square feet. The idea is to channel the rain that falls on your roof into the rain garden and the water should be held there for some time. Plant the rain garden with wet prairie native plants (again consult with your Extension / Master Gardener group). Most of the native plants will be sedges and grasses. You should also plant with several pretty flowering forbs like milkweed, joe pye weed, and others. After a year or two, you'll have a very attractive garden that is maintenance free and stops rain runoff as well. It's a great project. Hope this helps. Tom
...See More
Rain garden location/complete garden overhaul
Q
Comments (6)
We ended up repairing the driveway, removing trees, and re-doing the whole garden. Below are some photos from last July (2018) to May 2019, in steps. When I'm able to weed again I'll post a few final "first year" pics. Step 1: remove the overgrown and half dead trees, as well as overgrown non-native shrubs. Challenge to step 1: once shrubs were removed, we realized that the ground was sloped the wrong way -- back into the house! We also realized we could not grind two stumps as they were sitting on top of a gas line. So plans for the garden needed to be changed.
...See More
Rain Garden(s) on Shady Lane
Q
Comments (10)
Your only job when you build this rain garden is to make sure that the rain garden bottom is at least 4 inches *deeper* than the pipe. Use this calculation: The ~20' of pipe has to slope downward, so that the water makes it to the rain garden. So figure out how much that pipe needs to drop. Here is a quick calculator that calculates the *bare minimum* of drop your pipe needs to have. For safety, I would double it. https://www.builderscalculator.com/drain-pipe-slope-calculator/ For your 20 feet of length, I get 2.5 inches of pipe drop. Double that, and you get 5 inches. Plus the depth of the rain garden (4 inches) and you get your digging depth: 9 inches. If you want to live dangerously, you could dig a bit less - but No Shallower Than 6.5 inches! This is measured from where you think the bottom of the pipe will be once they build the patio. This might be pretty deep. At least 8 inches deep. So that gives you a total of 9+8=17 inches deeper than your ground level near the house. How to measure that where the rain garden is? Put up your stakes with a string between. String it where the pipe will start and finish - ground level near the house, and level it with a line level. Then measure down 17 inches from the string where you will be building your rain garden. It can be this deep, OR DEEPER. Deeper is fine. It just can't be any shallower than this. And since the ground slopes away from your house already, you won't have to dig the whole 17 inches. It will be less than that. All that sounds do-able - don't you think? :)
...See More
anita
21 years ago
It's not the same thing, I know, but around here, we have basin-shaped grassy lots. They are used as mini-parks when not filled with rainwater. I like the water garden idea better, though.
Sherrie_Florida
21 years ago
Thank you MountainMan for showing us the Rain Gardens.

In our area and I guess most of Florida they are building
retension ponds. Their idea is somewhat correct for
collecting water, but they could learn a lot from the
site you showed us. Don't put the ugly fence around the
retension pond. Just make a water garden.

I think it is so beautiful, I might make a little water
garden here since I do have 2 acres to play with.
merj13
21 years ago
Hi Mountainman--
This summer I've been reading a lot about Permaculture. I came up with an idea and actually went out and bermed up the two low sides of my front yard to retain any water, putting moisture lovers where the two bermed corners meet. I put a drain at the corner too...just in case it ever gets too wet. Not that big a possibility during the drought, but one never knows. I'm glad to know other people are doing this too. The big trick now is getting some shade in this corner so the water-lovers don't wither away under this intense heat/drought situation.
What specific plants did you learn about? Most of mine are shade-lovers, and I need some that handle full sun.
Did you study swales? That's a neat concept that helps you keep moisture-lovers a little more moist during droughts and water restrictions. If you haven't already, check out the Permaculture forum for more details. I'm getting a lot of good ideas over there.
Thanks for sharing!
merj
animas
21 years ago
It's a great idea! And just in time.

To show you how bad the problem has become, here is a link to a news story. CITY TO TAX RAINWATER

I'm not kidding! You gotta check this out. 'While it hasn't figured out how to tax air or sex, beginning in 2003 the Winona City Council will charge city property owners for the rain that falls on their land.' It's all because of run-off into storm drains and federal water quality issues.

This is so ridiculous, I had to share it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Winona Daily News
Fireraven9
21 years ago
So, if you can prove that the water is captured on the land then you can apply for an exemption and not pay the tax cause you do not use the drain system? Paved land in flash flood areas is a problem and cities like Albuquerque use massive arroyos lined with concrete to help control waters. Unlike the situation you mentioned ... the city uses the water to put back into the Rio Grande since the river is often short of water.

Fireraven9
Fairest of the months!Â Ripe summer's queen
The hey-day of the year
With robes that gleam with sunny sheen
Sweet August doth appear. -Â Â R. Combe Miller
merj13
21 years ago
Animas,
Join the crowd! LOL! The city of Greensboro, NC started doing this several years ago. It's a good way for them double your water rate.
Fireraven, I'm with you. I'm getting industrious in my ways of keeping rainwater on my property. I want a tax exemption. Hey, since I live at the bottom of the hill, what if I divert storm water onto my property...can I get a credit to pay all of my water bill?? Hmmm.....
merj
PS--I've actually thought about diverting storm water onto my property, but with questionable/chemical applications uphill, I'm not sure I'd want "that stuff" in my 98% organic yard.
Sherrie_Florida
21 years ago
Amimas,

Unbelievable. Couldn't they think of another way to tax?
Call us, we can give you very creative ideas.

I have heard it all after reading your news. If it is a
federal mandate then why are we exempt. Or should I shut
my mouth?

Maybe Federal doesn't apply to Florida since Jeb Bush is
governor.

Rain Gardening

Comments (9)

hollyk

stitches216

Related Discussions

anita

Sherrie_Florida

merj13

animas

Fireraven9

merj13

Sherrie_Florida

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US