A Guide to Building the Ultimate Rain Garden

By Guest Author Rachel Perez

If your yard suffers from poor drainage or soil erosion, then you might notice areas of standing water after heavy rain. From collecting stormwater pollution to creating a breeding ground for mosquitoes, standing water can cause many problems. 

Fortunately, there is a practical solution that can not only solve your lawn drainage issues but will also help the environment. In just one day, any homeowner can turn their yard’s standing water and slow drainage into an eyecatching boon for the local ecology. With that in mind, here’s how to build the ultimate rain garden.

what is a rain garden

What is a Rain Garden?

Put simply, a rain garden is a purposely-built area of a yard designed to facilitate drainage. In some circumstances, soil erosion and compaction create areas of the yard that no longer drain. When it rains, these areas allow storm runoff (sometimes polluted) to collect in low spots of a yard. Using easy landscaping methods and native plants, a rain garden turns these low-lying, compacted areas of your yard into spots with natural drainage and plenty of natural filters. This allows the stormwater to drain, filtering out chemical and waste pollutants before they reach local waterways, and avoids the hazards of standing water (mosquito breeding grounds and putrid smells). 

Not only do rain gardens promote the growth of natural plants, but they are also attractive to local wildlife. In short, rain gardens make great natural habitats in your backyard. Also, since rain gardens help manage water runoff, your state or city may offer tax credits.

How Does a Rain Garden Work?

Installing a rain garden is like adding infrastructure to your yard. The strategic placements of shrubs, plants, and trees create a root system that absorbs water and passes the nutrients along to the plants. This helps create a natural water cycle that allows for proper drainage and natural growth.

A rain garden works by:

rain garden benefits

How to Build a Rain Garden

One of the most attractive features of a rain garden is how easy it is to build. With minimal maintenance required, a rain garden will thrive as nature intended. But as with any successful project, research is key and requires a bit of planning before you break ground.

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Inspect and Prepare the Area

The first step is identifying the best area for your rain garden. These are usually at the bottom of slopes, or in a low-lying depression that is prone to flooding

Pay attention to yard areas that catch most of the runoff from the house roof and downspouts. If possible, build your garden within 30 feet of the downspout or roof drainage for maximum efficiency. Keep the rain garden at least 10 feet from your home’s foundation to avoid water seeping into your foundation walls. 

You’ll also want to avoid areas in heavy shade. A rain garden needs at least partial sunlight (preferably direct) so the water not only absorbs into the ground but also evaporates as quickly as possible. Too much shade will slow the process down.

Finally, contact your utility company to avoid buried lines before you start digging. While waiting for them to mark safe zones, take a soil sample and identify its composition.

Identify Soil and Native Plant Types

Identifying the soil composition is an important step in ensuring proper drainage. Specifically, you will need to determine if your soil is sand, clay, or loam-based. You can send your soil for an official soil test, or it can be done with a simple feel test. Just roll some wet soil in your hands and observe what happens to it when you squeeze it. If the soil disintegrates like sand, then it’s sand. If it sticks together, then it’s clay. If it’s smooth but crumbly, then you’ve got loam.

Your soil type helps determine the minimum size of your rain garden. Clay-based soil is slow to drain, so it will need more surface area; sand is fast-draining, so it can be small but effective; loam soils are average drainers. However, with the addition of sand or other substrates, loam-based rain gardens can improve their absorption rates.

Once you’ve identified your soil type, it’s time to decide on which plants will thrive in your rain garden. Native plants, including water-loving flowers, shrubs, and trees, are important rain garden features. They are naturally low maintenance, as they have evolved in your area over millennia, along with local wildlife and weather conditions.

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Though humans may not see it, native plants have a complex and complementary relationship with each other. This native ecosystem is responsible for water drainage, pollinator support, and wildlife support. In short, native plants are hearty, easy to grow, and perfectly adapted for your local conditions. They attract native birds, mammals, and pollinators, rarely require fertilizers, and look beautiful.

rain garden soil types

Plant and Maintain your Rain Garden

Now that you know your soil type and have identified your native plants, it’s time to landscape. The rain garden should range from four to eight inches deep, depending on the grade (a steeper grade should be dug deeper to accommodate more water). The center should be the deepest part, and the entire rain garden should be level.

Plant the hardiest, drought-resistant native plants in the center. Less tolerant plants should line the outside of the garden. 

Additionally, be sure to:

  • Properly space plants to encourage deep root growth.
  • Mulch the rain garden to suppress weeds.
  • Use stones of various sizes to slow erosion.
  • Winterize with additional mulch (rain gardens will continue working with snow).

After 2-3 years, your rain garden will be a self-sustaining ecosystem. Weeds will be crowded out, and your rain garden’s plants will be diverting and filtering polluted and excess rainwater.

Rain gardens are a safe solution to your yard’s drainage issues. Far from the hassle of digging irrigation trenches, gravel drains, or drainage culverts, a rain garden will manage stormwater effectively and become a beautiful wildlife sanctuary.

For more details, see How To Build a Rain Garden Step-By-Step at Home Advisor

Author’s Bio: Rachel Perez is a graduate of New York University who contributes to home improvement, landscaping, and renovation articles. When not writing, she enjoys gardening with her family and spending time in the Florida sunshine.

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