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🌧️🌱 Rain garden creation
A shallow, planted depression positioned to catch and soak up runoff from a roof or paved surface, reducing pressure on stormwater drains and letting the water recharge the soil instead of running off.
When should you do this?
Spring or autumn, when plants establish roots more easily
What will you need?
- Spade, hoe
- Sand and compost to improve soil drainage
- Moisture-tolerant, deep-rooted native plants
- Gravel or stone to line the inflow channel
- Tape measure, spirit level to check the slope
- Mulch
How to get started?
- Pick a low point in the garden, at least 3 meters from the building's foundation, where rainwater naturally collects (e.g. below a downspout or a sloped paved area).
- Test the soil's drainage: dig a hole about 30 cm deep, fill it with water, and check whether it drains within 24 hours.
- Dig a shallow, bowl-shaped depression 10-20 cm deep, sloping gently toward the center.
- If the soil drains poorly, mix sand and compost into the excavated soil to improve infiltration.
- Build an inflow channel or swale from the water source (downspout, driveway) to the rain garden, lined with stone or gravel to prevent erosion.
- Plant moisture-tolerant natives at the bottom of the depression and more drought-tolerant natives around the edges.
- Mulch the surface to suppress weeds and retain moisture.
- Water regularly through the first season while the plants establish.
Useful tips
- Keep the rain garden at least 3 meters from the building's foundation, so infiltrating water doesn't reach the basement.
- Choose plants that tolerate both brief standing water and longer dry spells.
- A well-sized rain garden should fully drain within 24-48 hours — if water stands longer, enlarge it or improve the drainage.
Ready? Start a rain garden creation project, or join one already running near you.