The expression “
rain garden
” is very poetic.
This is the name used to designate a garden specially laid out to avoid flooding or damage caused by rain, but also to store rainwater and reuse it easily.
A garden designed with ecological and economic concerns in mind.
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What is a rain garden?
A rain garden is a small outdoor space (between 10 and 30 meters) specially designed to better manage irregular water inflows.
Only fed by rainwater, it filters and stores rainwater in the event of heavy rainfall.
This water can be used to water your plants or wash your car.
The aim is also to avoid possible flooding and infiltration, both in the rest of the garden and in the house.
The rain garden is laid out in such a way as to retain water temporarily in a more or less deep depression in the ground.
It is composed of aquatic plants and a bed of stones.
How to build a rain garden?
The location
Note where water accumulates the most during rainy weather, such as a gutter or an overflowing rain catcher.
The rain garden must be installed downstream from this place, at least four meters away from the house, because in the event of heavy rainfall, the water could weaken the foundations of the building, in the medium or long term.
An old pond or gutter below your garden is a perfect spot.
A natural slope can help.
Make sure it is located where the soil is rich and draining enough to support a large volume of water and plays a retention role.
It can also be a watertight surface such as concrete, tar, etc., material on which the water will slide to then evacuate via natural channels or designed as gutters to direct it to a specific location.
Finally, try to install this rain garden within 30 feet of the house.
Further, it will be necessary to arrange a channel to convey the water.
Advice
Prefer a surface without underground cables or pipes.
Design
You have to set up a "path" that the water will follow in the event of too much influx on the roof, for example.
Gutters can channel water to your rain garden.
You can also build this path using stones.
The idea: to direct the course of the water.
Then, plant aquatic plants, plant species adapted to water, all around the future water reservoir.
If in doubt about how to proceed, do not hesitate to call a landscaper.
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Which plants for a rain garden?
Favorable to biodiversity, a rain garden can accommodate many plants.
However, since the rain garden is maintained by definition only by runoff water, the plants chosen must also be able to adapt to periods of drought.
The following plants will easily find their place:
The fern
marsh iris
The water mint
horsetail
Reed
willow
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How to maintain a rain garden?
Depending on the region and the rate of precipitation that may land on your land, it is useful to regularly check the path followed by the rainwater.
Do not hesitate to add stones or gravel so that the water drains better towards the desired area.
In case of saturation, you can install a drain pipe to promote flow and prevent the water level from rising.