The Green Parent

Does your backyard need a rain garden?  These lovely little features are a great way to utlize the runoff from your roof and reduce the amount fo water entering sotrm drains.  Big or small, rain gardens also help to reduce water pollution by trapping sediments and excess nutrients before they hit waterways.

So what’s wrong with rain runoff?  Rain is natural, right?  Yes, rain is natural but the stormwater runoff and water pollution that occur in modern societies are anything but natural.  In fact stormwater runoff is responsible for 70% of the pollution that hits our waterways.  This pollution is in the form of fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals that are applied to people’s yards, cars, fences, and homes. Even if you don’t use these chemicals, you can probably bet that one of your neighbors does.

 A rain garden can help keep the rain where it falls so that it does not wash these pollutants into the nearest stream…making your yard part of the solution, not part of the problem.  Why are rain gardens better than just your average yard of grass?  Lots of reasons…less mowing and upkeep for starters.  Rain gardens are also better at absorbing runoff more efficiently- as much as 30% – 40% more then a standard lawn. By capturing rainwater in a rain garden, holding it and then slowly releasing it into the soil the rush of a large storm can be slowed and cleaned – 

quickly, neatly and naturally

.

Ready to get started?  No matter where you are in the country, click over to , a great website that will help you plan and prepare your rain garden.  Next, talk to the folks at your local greenhouse to find out which native plants would work best in your rain garden.  If you live in the Midwest, Northeast, or Southeast, you can also pick up one of these handy  for info about precisely which plants to plant in your area.

Here are a few more excellent sources of info about rain gardens:

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