Rain Gardens: Using Nature to Preserve and Protect Nature
by Margaret A. Haapoja
Rain gardens turn puddles into lush havens for native plants. These resourceful gardening options help to sustain our environment by decreasing water pollution. They are catching on all across across the country.
Perennial gardens planted in shallow depressions capture rainwater from gutters, driveways, parking lots and other impermeable surfaces, allowing it to soak into the soil naturally. Mary Blickenderfer, Educator with the University of Minnesota Extention notes that, “We at Extension make a clear distinction between capturing ‘clean’ runoff from houses and sidewalks in residential areas and capturing ‘dirty’ runoff from roads and parking lots in urban areas. In the former case, residents can usually install effective, small ‘rain gardens’ using information found online and in printed resources or by attending a workshop. In the latter case, engineers should be consulted to design the infiltration basin to effectively handle the larger quantities of runoff and amounts of pollutants contained in it.”
In traditional storm water treatment systems, runoff is waste product to be disposed of as quickly as possible. The storm water discharged from Grand Rapids ends up in the Mississippi River. City Engineer Tom Pagel says the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency mandated that the city improve the quality of its discharge to the river.
Last year the city built several rain gardens on 1st Avenue Northwest between 7th Street and 11th Street North. Dave Clark and his crew of Bloomers Garden Center and Nursery in Grand Rapids installed the gardens. “The primary purpose of them is to collect the first wave of rain that is runoff on the asphalt,” says Clark. “If the gardens fill, the rest of the water is to go into the storm water system.”
Pagel believes rain gardens are the perfect fit for residential areas where it is not feasible to build detention ponds. “There’s some aesthetic beauty to them, they fit within the right of way, and we end up getting storm water treatment with them,” he says. This summer the city of Grand Rapids will add rain gardens near the old hospital site and in the new development behind WalMart.
Rain gardens are fairly simple to create. Any size rain garden will make a difference.
Choose a site where water pools after storms that is at least 10 feet from the house so water doesn’t flow into the basement. Normal depth for a rain garden is from three to eight inches. Test drainage by digging a hole six inches deep and filling it with water. If it takes more than 24 hours to soak in, you should amend the soil or choose another site. The bottom should be fairly level so the water spreads out. Most people direct water from a downspout to their rain garden by either laying pipe on the ground, digging a trench for plastic piping or creating a swale. Shredded hardwood mulch keeps weeds down while it captures heavy metals, oils and grease, and it doesn’t float or blow away.
“Choose your plants according to the conditions they will encounter during periods between rainfall events,” advises Blickenderfer. “For example, in sandy soils, rain gardens may drain in a few hours or less and will be relatively dry until the next rainfall, so choose dry prairie species like little bluestem and rough blazing star that will tolerate drought. Blue flag iris and most other wetland species won’t survive under these "droughty" conditions—even if it is a rain garden.”
Although rain gardens with native plants are low maintenance, they do require some attention, especially at the beginning. Be sure to keep the plants well watered until they become established. It’s a good idea to keep a sharp eye on the plants and move any that aren’t thriving to a new location. “If you want to attract birds in the winter, leave the seed stalks in place and then cut them back in the spring before the perennials start sprouting,” suggests Blickenderfer.
Last year, David Lick of Itasca Reliable Insurance Company incorporated rain gardens into the landscape around his new office building near Ace Hardware in Grand Rapids. He wanted to gather as much water from the impervious surfaces as he could, so he installed three rain gardens to absorb run-off.
Bonnie Hinniker, owner of Sunshine Gardens in Pine River, Mary Blickenderfer, Educator with University of Minnesota Extension Service and Andy Arens of the Soil & Water Conservation District consulted on the project.
Lick is considering taking environmentally conscious gardening to the next level. Planning to continue collaborating with the natural environment, he is investigating the use of rain barrels to collect water for irrigation use this summer.
Photos for this article were provided by Patricia Pennell, Director of Rain Gardens of West Michigan.
Rain gardens turn puddles into lush havens for native plants. These resourceful gardening options help to sustain our environment by decreasing water pollution. They are catching on all across across the country.
Perennial gardens planted in shallow depressions capture rainwater from gutters, driveways, parking lots and other impermeable surfaces, allowing it to soak into the soil naturally. Mary Blickenderfer, Educator with the University of Minnesota Extention notes that, “We at Extension make a clear distinction between capturing ‘clean’ runoff from houses and sidewalks in residential areas and capturing ‘dirty’ runoff from roads and parking lots in urban areas. In the former case, residents can usually install effective, small ‘rain gardens’ using information found online and in printed resources or by attending a workshop. In the latter case, engineers should be consulted to design the infiltration basin to effectively handle the larger quantities of runoff and amounts of pollutants contained in it.”
In traditional storm water treatment systems, runoff is waste product to be disposed of as quickly as possible. The storm water discharged from Grand Rapids ends up in the Mississippi River. City Engineer Tom Pagel says the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency mandated that the city improve the quality of its discharge to the river.
Last year the city built several rain gardens on 1st Avenue Northwest between 7th Street and 11th Street North. Dave Clark and his crew of Bloomers Garden Center and Nursery in Grand Rapids installed the gardens. “The primary purpose of them is to collect the first wave of rain that is runoff on the asphalt,” says Clark. “If the gardens fill, the rest of the water is to go into the storm water system.”
Pagel believes rain gardens are the perfect fit for residential areas where it is not feasible to build detention ponds. “There’s some aesthetic beauty to them, they fit within the right of way, and we end up getting storm water treatment with them,” he says. This summer the city of Grand Rapids will add rain gardens near the old hospital site and in the new development behind WalMart.
Rain gardens are fairly simple to create. Any size rain garden will make a difference.
Choose a site where water pools after storms that is at least 10 feet from the house so water doesn’t flow into the basement. Normal depth for a rain garden is from three to eight inches. Test drainage by digging a hole six inches deep and filling it with water. If it takes more than 24 hours to soak in, you should amend the soil or choose another site. The bottom should be fairly level so the water spreads out. Most people direct water from a downspout to their rain garden by either laying pipe on the ground, digging a trench for plastic piping or creating a swale. Shredded hardwood mulch keeps weeds down while it captures heavy metals, oils and grease, and it doesn’t float or blow away.
“Choose your plants according to the conditions they will encounter during periods between rainfall events,” advises Blickenderfer. “For example, in sandy soils, rain gardens may drain in a few hours or less and will be relatively dry until the next rainfall, so choose dry prairie species like little bluestem and rough blazing star that will tolerate drought. Blue flag iris and most other wetland species won’t survive under these "droughty" conditions—even if it is a rain garden.”
Although rain gardens with native plants are low maintenance, they do require some attention, especially at the beginning. Be sure to keep the plants well watered until they become established. It’s a good idea to keep a sharp eye on the plants and move any that aren’t thriving to a new location. “If you want to attract birds in the winter, leave the seed stalks in place and then cut them back in the spring before the perennials start sprouting,” suggests Blickenderfer.
Last year, David Lick of Itasca Reliable Insurance Company incorporated rain gardens into the landscape around his new office building near Ace Hardware in Grand Rapids. He wanted to gather as much water from the impervious surfaces as he could, so he installed three rain gardens to absorb run-off.Bonnie Hinniker, owner of Sunshine Gardens in Pine River, Mary Blickenderfer, Educator with University of Minnesota Extension Service and Andy Arens of the Soil & Water Conservation District consulted on the project.
Lick is considering taking environmentally conscious gardening to the next level. Planning to continue collaborating with the natural environment, he is investigating the use of rain barrels to collect water for irrigation use this summer.
Photos for this article were provided by Patricia Pennell, Director of Rain Gardens of West Michigan.
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