If you live somewhere that gets rain and has native plants, you should build yourself a rain garden as the next weekend project. Sign in or Subscribe See Offers. Sign In: Login.

Generally, a rain garden is somewhere between six and 12 inches lower than the surrounding area. If your yard is flat, you may need to plan to haul some soil away.

Designing a backyard rain garden. Rain gardens should be located close to the source of water runoff and at least 20 feet away from the foundation of any structure.

Rain gardens help reduce the amount of water flowing over land and into storm drains, which can prevent flooding and erosion.

A rain garden must be matched to the potential volume of runoff it may be asked to accommodate. Most backyard rain gardens are in the 100- to 300-square-foot range; some homes have multiple ...

Rain Gardens help the environment. They decrease flooding. They decrease the number of pollutants from roofs, roads, sump pumps, sidewalks, etc. that wash into storm drains and from there into ...

If your garden feels swampy, try this unexpected soil addition to improve drainage and prevent waterlogging before it harms ...

The gardener utilized a strip of stagnant water to create a garden thriving with natural elements that would redirect the ...

Locate a place for the rain garden at least 10 feet away from your house and 50 feet from septic tanks. Dig a hole 2 feet deep, then time how long it takes for 8 to 12 inches of water to disappear.

Plants Rain garden plants must be able to tolerate not only moisture, but also drought, as the rain garden is designed to drain water quickly. For this reason, many plants typical to wetland ...

Soil testing: Good soil drainage is key to the success of your rain garden. Perform a soil percolation test and make amendments or try another location if the water doesn’t absorb into the ...

Ideally, a rain garden with well-draining soil should be no more than 30% of the total drainage area, while a rain garden with slower-draining clay soil can be up to 60% of the total drainage area.