Gardening Guides
Houzz Call: Show Us Your Backyard Rain Barrel
As we head into the cooler months, our thoughts turn to rain — and rainwater collection
Rain barrels may reveal their value long after the rainy season has ended, when you have a free supply of rainwater sitting in your backyard. But now is the time to think about installing one — we’re talking to you, Colorado. (In August, residential rainwater collection became legal in that state.)
Calling all Houzzers: Have you installed a rain barrel or cistern? Upload a picture in the Comments and tell us why you decided to add one.
Calling all Houzzers: Have you installed a rain barrel or cistern? Upload a picture in the Comments and tell us why you decided to add one.
Even if you don’t live in a drought-stricken state, a rain barrel provides you and your garden with a free supply of fresh rainwater, an especially welcome resource during dry spells. Additionally, plants and soil prefer being watered by fresh rainwater, rather than municipal water. Use a “first flush” diverter to divert the first bit of rainwater, which will be the dirtiest, out of the barrel.
This yard in Portland, Oregon, features an attractive rain chain that directs rainwater into an elegant urn below.
Watch on Houzz TV: See how to install your own rain barrel
This yard in Portland, Oregon, features an attractive rain chain that directs rainwater into an elegant urn below.
Watch on Houzz TV: See how to install your own rain barrel
Beyond offering the benefits of free water, rain barrels are also helpful additions to an overall stormwater management system at home. Rainwater barrels intercept rainwater before it hits the ground. As the water percolates through the soil, irrigating garden plants, it’s also being cleaned as it filters back into the ground, rather than running off the site and into storm drains.
Show us: Have you installed a rain barrel at home? Upload a photo in the Comments below.
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Show us: Have you installed a rain barrel at home? Upload a photo in the Comments below.
More
Just Add Water: Rain Barrel Magic
6 Reasons Why You Should Save Your Rainwater Now
Here, Evan Marks, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano, California, demonstrates how to attach a DIY rain barrel to a rain gutter downspout.
Your turn: Show us your rain barrel, if you’ve already installed one at your home. Upload your photos in the Comments.