February: Garden with Purpose: Rain Gardens

Spring showers are coming soon to Roswell! When cultivating the perfect spring landscape in your yard after the cold winter season, consider the benefits of implementing a rain garden.

Every time it rains, stormwater runoff moves quickly downhill and while some of it seeps into the ground, a large portion of it flows over sidewalks, streets, and other impervious surfaces. Stormwater limits the amount of water that can be returned to the watershed and erodes the soil along banks. Further, the impervious surfaces cause stormwater to bring pollutants and excess sediments into natural waterways, which can damage local ecosystems, cause flooding, and damage property. One way you can help manage stormwater runoff on your property is by adding a rain garden to your landscape.

A rain garden is a low area in the yard or landscape that has been planted with vegetation, including grasses, native shrubs, and perennial flowers. These shallow areas actively collect rain water from a roof, driveway, sidewalk, street, or gutter and absorbs it into the ground. By collecting excess stormwater, rain gardens allow for 30% more water to be absorbed, compared to an average lawn, reducing the volume of polluted stormwater rushing into drains and the Big Creek Water Basin here in Roswell.

Rain gardens not only reduce pollution and manage stormwater on your property, but they can be a beautiful addition to your yard. Rain gardens are also low maintenance as they are self-watering and require little up keep. To get started planning your perfect rain garden, please visit Roswell’s Guide to Rain Gardens (PDF) or EPA Rain Gardens.

For more information on local sources of native plants in Roswell, please contact Roswell Environmental Education at [email protected].