Rain Gardens: Native, Pollution Catcher, and Mosquito Free
By: Saranya Anantapantula
Tags: Water, Gardening, Rain, Pollution, Garden

Flourishing gardens? Mosquito-free? Elegant butterflies and birds? Help the environment and beautify your house? Yes, please! A rain garden does all these things!

What is a rain-garden?

Rain gardens are vegetated, landscaped depression used to collect residential or more extensive building runoff. Run-off has been increasing because of industrialization, impervious structures in particular; this causes contaminants(fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, litter, etc.…) to accumulate and end up in streams. Rain gardens promote infiltration to the groundwater table, reducing run-off, thus, stopping contaminants from entering a stream.

Rain Garden. Source: DIY Network

How can a garden help the environment?

Aforementioned, rain gardens help reduce run-off. Rain gardens protect homes from flooding, depending on the position of the garden. If the garden is at least from the structure and the water is being directed to the garden, it can reduce the amount of rain that flows into the structure and towards the sewer, causing less pollution to reach our source water. The rain garden will hold this water and soak into the ground, reducing local flooding, improving water quality, and recharge groundwater.

With deep-rooted native plants, rain gardens can infiltrate water and locate water when the garden is dry. Native plants are essential for the garden because, over time, the plants adapted to the climate, seasons, and weather and will survive through the region’s regular rainfall fluctuations. This creates habitat and food for native wildlife and pollinators like birds, butterflies, beneficial insects, and nature.

Lastly, when we think of water and plants near our house, we think of mosquitos, but that is not the case. A well-designed rain garden with mature plants will not have standing water in it after 48 hours. As mentioned previously, all the water will have soaked into the garden, not letting any mosquitos successfully breed.

How to make a rain garden

With some help, these gardens are easy to build. In fact, I created one with some volunteers through the PennState Master Watersheds Program.

First, we marked our positions. The homeowner had people come in before the build and check out their soil. We dug flat depressions that were 10 feet away from the house. Then, we tilled the area to loosen the compact soil. Using a shovel, we dug a 1:1 slope to create a berm on the garden's edges. This helps to hold stormwater from storms.

Saranya Anantapantula creating a 1:1 slope. Credit: 4AGreenEnvironment (my non-profit)

We had a vast lawn to work on, so we decided to make 3 “separate” gardens connected. After sectioning the three plots of land, we began to add mulch. I mulched a lot.

Mulching the second garden.

Beginning to mulch the third garden.

Continuing to mulch the third garden.

Before beginning the rain garden building, the homeowners already decided which plants were going where. Now, after all that mulching, I was going to plant my first plant! We began planting grass around the perimeters of the gardens.

After planting, we had finished making the rain garden. Remember, rain gardens don’t require fertilizers beyond the compost used in the soil mix, and make sure to weed and prune to keep the rain garden looking its best.

After understanding why rain gardens are essential, gather your family and friends, take the day off, and begin building your very own rain garden and educate people why you are making it! Have fun!