Wondering what is the point of a rain garden? While the ultimate purpose is to catch and filter rainwater runoff, they’re also beautiful as well! In this short article, you’ll learn about rain gardens, the key purpose and functions, as well as tips for making your very own. Let’s get started!
To understand what is the purpose of a rain garden, it’s important to know what a rain garden is. Basically, it’s any landscape feature that collects rainwater, with the runoff being stored in a mesh pot. The purpose is two-fold. First, it helps reduce the amount of water pollution and sewage waste, which flows into our stormwater run-off. Second, it provides a habitat for wildlife, providing protection from damage from birds, insects, and other creatures. Movable vegetation such as ferns and shrubs will also add to the aesthetics of your landscape.
With that out of the way, let’s move on to a brief overview of what is the purpose of a rain garden. It’s designed to improve or increase water runoff. By lowering the slope of your landscape, we reduce the amount of runoff into the ground. We then use that water to recharge soil and replenish vegetation. This replenishment reduces the pressure on natural resources, thus helping to protect our water supply.
One of the most popular uses for rain gardens is increasing runoff. Water gardens in urban landscapes have become increasingly popular for several reasons. First, it’s a great method of increasing organic matter in your yard and improving the soil structure. We’ve all seen the enormous fields of native grass that have collapsed due to a lack of irrigation. This is one of the most destructive and costly mistakes you can make in your yard, and rain gardens allow you to easily prevent this from happening.
Another advantage to an integrated system is that it does not require a large amount of water to keep it going. Landscaping with rain gardens requires very little maintenance or watering. We typically only need to water our yard on occasion during high storms – in fact, we typically won’t even need to water our grass during the summer. So the result is reduced use of resources, and a savings in money that can be used elsewhere.
A third advantage is that you don’t have to dig very deep. Most people have to dig at least four feet to reach a few inches of soil. On a rain garden, by the time you have finished creating the system, you’ve already covered about twelve to twenty four inches of dirt. This is much better than the alternative – digging and then trying to remove the soil to plant your plants. You also won’t have to worry about weeds getting through the soil as they normally do.
Lastly, you can build a rain garden right on your front lawn without any excavation. You do not need to have a wetwell or septic system – you simply put a basin, or catchment area, below your soil. Once your soil and plants are established, you can just pour water on top of the basin. All you have to do is cut channels into the basin, and tie together with string. In fact, some people create channels in which to plant their vegetables and then tie them off so that the soil and plants are well contained.
In short, you can have a complete rain garden without any digging at all. You just have to create a percolating basin and plant your greenery in it. Once your plants have grown roots, you just have to dig a hole, move the basin and put your sprinkler system inside. Then you are done.