What is a Rain Garden?

Small Gardens, Big Impact!

Curious about how you can protect local streams, improve water quality, and care for the land while gardening? You’ve come to the right place!

In short, a rain garden is a specially designed landscape feature that captures, filters, and reduces stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff refers to water that flows over the surface of the land instead of soaking into the ground. In urban areas, impervious surfaces, like roofs, roads, driveways, and even compacted lawns, prevent water from infiltrating naturally.

A rain garden solves this problem by creating a shallow, planted depression filled with loose soil and deep-rooted native plants. During a rain event, stormwater collects in the garden and gradually soaks into the ground. This process helps reduce flooding, erosion, filter pollutants, and limit the amount of runoff that enters storm drains and, eventually, our streams, rivers, and lakes.

A Rain Garden:

• Soaks rainwater into the ground quickly
• Protects our lakes, rivers and creeks from pollution
• Replenishes the groundwater
• Creates beautiful gardenscapes throughout the growing season
• Provides food and shelter for birds, butterflies & beneficial insects