A how-to manual
for homeowners
Homeowners in many parts of the country are catching on to rain gardens – land-
scaped areas planted to wild flowers and other native vegetation that soak up rain water,
mainly from the roof of a house or other building. The rain garden fills with a few inches
of water after a storm and the water slowly filters into the ground rather than running off
to a storm drain. Compared to a conventional patch of lawn, a rain garden allows about
30% more water to soak into the ground.
Why are rain gardens important? As cities and suburbs grow and replace forests and
agricultural land, increased stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces becomes a
problem. Stormwater runoff from developed areas increases flooding; carries pollutants
from streets, parking lots and even lawns into local streams and lakes; and leads to costly
municipal improvements in stormwater treatment structures.
By reducing stormwater runoff, rain gardens can be a valuable part of changing these
trends. While an individual rain garden may seem like a small thing, collectively they
produce substantial neighborhood and community environmental benefits. Rain gardens
work for us in several ways:
g Increasing the amount of water that filters into the ground, which
recharges local and regional aquifers;
g Helping protect communities from flooding and drainage problems;
g Helping protect streams and lakes from pollutants carried by
urban stormwater – lawn fertilizers and pesticides, oil and
other fluids that leak from cars, and numerous
harmful substances that wash off roofs and
paved areas;
g Enhancing the beauty of yards and neighborhoods;
g Providing valuable habitat for birds, butterflies
and many beneficial insects.
Your personal contribution to cleaner water
2
Frequently asked questions
Does a rain garden form a pond?
No. The rain water will soak in so the rain garden is dry
between rainfalls. (Note: some rain gardens can be
designed to include a permanent pond, but that type of
rain garden is not addressed in this publication).
Are they a breeding ground for mosquitoes?
No. Mosquitoes need 7 to 12 days to lay and hatch eggs,
and standing water in the rain garden will last for a few
hours after most storms. Mosquitoes are more likely to lay
eggs in bird baths, storm sewers, and lawns than in a
sunny rain garden. Also rain gardens attract dragonflies,
which eat mosquitoes!
Do they require a lot of maintenance?
Rain gardens can be maintained with little effort after the
plants are established. Some weeding and watering will be
needed in the first two years, and perhaps some thinning
in later years as the plants mature.
Is a rain garden expensive?
It doesn’t have to be. A family and a
few friends can provide the labor. The
main cost will be purchasing the plants,
and even this cost can be minimized by
using some native plants that might
already exist in the yard or in a
neighbor’s yard.
Who should use this
manual?
This manual provides
homeowners and landscape
professionals with the
information needed to
design and build rain
gardens on residential lots.
Guidelines presented in this
manual can also be used to
treat roof runoff at com-
mercial and institutional
sites. However, the manual
should not be used to
design rain gardens for
parking lots, busy streets
and other heavily used
paved areas where
stormwater would require
pretreatment before
entering a rain garden.
Rain Gardens – A how-to manual for homeowners
3
Sizing and Siting the Rain Garden
This section of the manual covers rain gar-
den basics – where to put the rain garden,
how big to make it, how deep to dig it, and
what kind of soils and slope are best. Following
the instructions in this section is the best way
to ensure a successful rain garden project.
If you already know the size you want your rain
garden to be, then skip ahead to the section
about building the rain garden. However, take time read the pointers about location, and
do find the slope of the lawn. If the location has a slope more than about 12%, it’s best to
pick a different location because of the effort it will take to create a level rain garden.
Where should the rain garden go?
Home rain gardens can be in one of two places – near the house to catch only roof runoff or farther out on
the lawn to collect water from the lawn and roof. (Figure 1 shows the possible locations on a residential lot.)
To help decide where to put a rain garden, consider these points:
• The rain garden should be at least 10 feet from the house so infiltrating water doesn’t
seep into the foundation.
• Do not place the rain garden directly over a septic system.
• It may be tempting to put the rain garden in a part of the yard where water already
ponds. Don’t! The goal of a rain garden is to encourage infiltration, and your yard’s wet
patches show where infiltration is slow.
• It is better to build the rain garden in full or partial sun, not directly under a big tree.
• Putting the rain garden in a flatter part of the yard will make digging much easier.
For example, a rain garden 10 feet wide on a 10% slope must be 12 inches deep to be
level, unless you import topsoil or use cut and fill.
4
• • • • •
Step 1
An extension of PVC pipe helps direct downspout water
to this rain garden.
not within 10'
of foundation
> 30'
from
down spout
street
roof and lawn
drainage
area to back
rain garden
roof drainage
area to front
rain garden
rain garden
length
rain
garden
width
rain
garden
width
close to
down spout
rain garden
length
When considering placement of your rain
garden, design with the end in mind.
Carefully consider how the rain garden can
be integrated into existing and future
landscaping. Also, pay attention to views
from inside the house as well as those
Rain Gardens – A how-to manual for homeowners
5
throughout the landscape. Determine how
far or how close you want your rain garden
to outdoor gathering spaces or other play
areas. Why not locate it near a patio where
you can take advantage of the colors and
fragrances for hours on end!
Figure 1 A rain garden can
be built in the front or back
yard. Pick a pleasing shape
for the rain garden. Crescent,
kidney, and teardrop shapes
seem to work well.
Consider your overall landscape
6
How big should the rain garden be?
The surface area of the rain garden can be almost any size, but time and cost will always be important con-
siderations in sizing decisions. Any reasonably sized rain garden will provide some stormwater runoff control.
A typical residential rain garden ranges from 100 to 300 square feet. Rain gardens can be smaller than 100
square feet, but very small gardens have little plant variety. If a rain garden is larger than 300 square feet it
takes a lot more time to dig, is more difficult to make level, and could be hard on your budget.
The size of the rain garden will depend on
•how deep the garden will be,
• what type of soils the garden will be planted in, and
•how much roof and/or lawn will drain to the garden.
This information, along with the sizing factor from the tables on
page 9, will determine the surface area of the rain garden.
> 10'
from
foundation
< 12%
slope
berm
berm
street
> 30'
from
down spout
close
to
down
spout
Guidelines are not rules…
The sizing guidelines
described in this manual are
based on a goal of controlling
100% of the runoff for the
average rainfall year while
keeping the size of the rain
garden reasonable. Establish-
ing a 100% runoff goal helps
compensate for some of the
errors that creep into the
design and construction of
any rain garden.
If you follow the guidelines in
the manual and decide the
calculated surface area is just
too large for your goals, it is
perfectly acceptable to make
the rain garden smaller. The
rain garden can be up to 30%
smaller and still control almost
90% of the annual runoff. On
the other hand, it is fine to
make the rain garden bigger
than the guidelines indicate.
Figure 2
Rain gardens should
be located at least 10 feet from
the house, on a gentle slope
that catches downspout water.
Digging with a rented backhoe.
Rain Gardens – A how-to manual for homeowners
7
How Deep Should the Rain Garden Be?
A typical rain garden is between four and eight inches deep. A rain garden more than eight inches deep
might pond water too long, look like a hole in the ground, and present a tripping hazard for somebody
stepping into it. A rain garden much less than four inches deep will need an excessive amount of surface
area to provide enough water storage to infiltrate the larger storms.
No matter what the depth of
the rain garden, the goal is to
keep the garden level. Digging
a very shallow rain garden on a
steep lawn will require bringing
in extra topsoil to bring the
downslope part of the garden
up to the same height as the
up-slope part of the garden. As
the slope gets steeper, it is easi-
er to dig the rain garden a little
deeper to make it level.
The slope of the lawn should determine the depth of the rain garden. Find the slope of your lawn by
following these steps. (Figure 3 shows how the stakes and string should look.)
1. Pound one stake in at the uphill end of your rain garden site and pound the other stake
in at the downhill end. The stakes should be about 15 feet apart.
2. Tie a string to the bottom of the uphill stake and run the string to the downhill stake.
3. Using a string level or the carpenter’s level, make the string horizontal and tie the string
to the downhill stake at that height.
4. Measure the width (in inches) between the two stakes.
5. Now measure the height (in inches) on the downhill stake between the ground and string.
6. Divide the height by the width and multiply the result by 100 to find the lawn’s percent
slope. If the slope is more than 12%, it’s best to find another site or talk to a professional
landscaper.
Using the slope of the lawn, select the depth of the rain garden from the following options:
• If the slope is less than 4%, it is easiest to build a 3 to 5-inch deep rain garden.
• If the slope is between 5 and 7%, it is easiest to build one 6 to 7 inches deep.
• If the slope is between 8 and 12%, it is easiest to build one about 8 inches deep.
EXAMPLE
Todd measures the length of the string between the stakes; it is 180 inches long. The height
is 9 inches. He divides the height by the width to find his lawn’s percent slope.
With a 5% slope, Todd should build a 6 inch deep rain garden.
height
x 100 =% slope
width
9 inches
x 100 =5% slope
180 inches
downhill
stake
height
the string must be level
uphill
stake
width
Figure 3
The string should be tied to
the base of the uphill stake, then tied to
the downhill stake at the same level.
✓
Rain gardens more than 30 feet from the downspout
1. If there is a significant area of lawn uphill that will also drain to the rain garden, add
this lawn area to the roof drainage area. First find the roof drainage area using the steps
above for a rain garden less than 30’ from the downspout.
2. Next find the area of the lawn that will drain to the rain garden. Stand where your rain
garden will be and look up toward the house. Identify the part of the lawn sloping into
the rain garden.
3. Measure the length and width of the uphill lawn, and multiply them to find the lawn area.
4. Add the lawn area to the roof drainage area to find the total drainage area.
8
How big is the area draining to the rain garden?
The next step in choosing your rain garden size is to find the area that will drain to the rain garden. As the
size of the drainage area increases so should the size of the rain garden. There is some guesswork in deter-
mining the size of a drainage area, especially if a large part of the lawn is up-slope from the proposed garden
site. Use the suggestions below to estimate the drainage area without spending a lot of time.
Rain gardens less than 30 feet from the downspout
1. In this case, where the rain garden is close to the house, almost all water will come from
the roof downspout. Walk around the house and estimate what percent of the roof feeds
to that downspout. Many houses have four downspouts, each taking about 25% of the
roof’s runoff.
2. Next find your home’s footprint, the area of the first floor. If you don’t already know it,
use a tape measure to find your house’s length and width. Multiply the two together to
find the approximate area of your roof.
3. Finally, multiply the roof area by the percent of the roof that feeds to the rain garden
downspout. This is the roof drainage area.
What type of soils are on the rain garden site?
After choosing a rain garden depth, identify the lawn’s soil type as sandy, silty, or clayey. Sandy soils have
the fastest infiltration; clayey soils have the slowest. Since clayey soils take longer to absorb water, rain
gardens in clayey soil must be bigger than rain gardens in sandy or silty soil. If the soil feels very gritty and
coarse, you probably have sandy soil. If your soil is smooth but not sticky, you have silty soil. If it is very
sticky and clumpy, you probably have clayey soil.
EXAMPLE
Todd’s house is 60 feet by 40 feet, so the roof area is 2400 square feet. He estimates that
the downspout collects water from 25% of the roof, so he multiplies 2400 by 0.25 to get a
downspout drainage area of 600 square feet.
Roof Area: 60 ft by 40 ft = 2400 square ft.
Drainage Area: 2400 square ft. x 0.25 = 600 square ft.
. If the rain garden
is far from the
house, and you
don’t want a swale
or downspout
cutting across the
lawn, run a PVC
pipe underground
from the down-
spout to the rain
garden. In this
case do calculations
as for a rain
garden less than
30 feet from the
house.
✓
Rain Gardens – A how-to manual for homeowners
9
Using the Rain Garden Size Factors
Having estimated the drainage area, soil type, and depth for your rain garden, use Table 1 or Table 2 to
determine the rain garden’s surface area. Use Table 1 if the rain garden is less than 30 feet from the down-
spout, and use Table 2 if it is more than 30 feet from the downspout.
Table 1 Rain gardens less than 30 feet
from downspout.
3-5 in. 6-7 in. 8 in.
deep deep deep
Sandy soil 0.19 0.15 0.08
Silty soil 0.34 0.25 0.16
Clayey soil 0.43 0.32 0.20
EXAMPLE
Todd’s rain garden is less than 30 feet from the downspout, and his lawn has a 5% slope, so
he will have a 6-inch deep rain garden. His lawn is silty, so Table 1 recommends a size factor
of 0.25. He multiplies the downspout drainage area, 600 square feet, by 0.25 to find the
recommended rain garden area, 150 square feet.
600 square ft. by 0.25 = 150 square ft.
1. Find the size factor for the soil type and rain garden depth.
2. Multiply the size factor by the drainage area. This number is the recommended rain
garden area.
3. If the recommended rain garden area is much more than 300 square feet, divide it into
smaller rain gardens.
Table 2 Rain gardens more than 30 feet
from downspout.
Size Factor, for all depths
Sandy soil 0.03
Silty soil 0.06
Clayey soil 0.10
✓
Simple soil tests
Two small tests can ensure your soil can handle a rain garden:
• Dig a hole about 6 inches deep where the rain
garden is to go and fill the hole with water. If
the water takes more than 24 hours to soak in,
the soil is not suitable for a rain garden.
•Take a handful of soil and dampen it with a
few drops of water. After kneading the soil in your fingers,
squeeze the soil into a ball. If it remains in a ball, then work
the soil between your forefinger and thumb, squeezing it
upward into a ribbon of uniform thickness. Allow the ribbon
to emerge and extend over the forefinger until it breaks
from its own weight. If the soil forms a ribbon more than
an inch long before it breaks, and it also feels more smooth
than gritty, the soil is not suitable for a rain garden.
The map is a starting point for assessing what type of soils you might find in your yard. However, the soil on a
small plot of a yard can be very different from the soils indicated on the map. Use the simple soil test described
here for a more accurate representation of the soils in the possible rain garden location. More information about
sampling and testing lawn and garden soils can be obtained at county UW-Extension offices.
How long and how wide should the
rain garden be?
Before building the rain garden, think about how it will catch
water. Runoff will flow out of a downspout and should spread
evenly across the entire length of the rain garden. The rain
garden must be as level as possible so water doesn’t pool at
one end and spill over before it has a chance to infiltrate.
The longer side of the rain garden should face upslope; that is, the length of the rain garden should be
perpendicular to the slope and the downspout. This way the garden catches as much water as possible.
However, the rain garden should still be wide enough for the water to spread evenly over the whole bottom
and to provide the space to plant a variety of plants. A good rule of thumb is that the rain garden should be
about twice as long (perpendicular to the slope) as it is wide.
When choosing the width of the garden, think about the slope of the lawn. Wide rain gardens and rain
gardens on steep slopes will need to be dug very deep at one end in order to be level. If the rain garden is
too wide, it may be necessary to bring in additional soil to fill up the downhill half. Experience shows that
making a rain garden about 10 feet wide is a good compromise between the effect of slope and how deep
the rain garden should be. A rain garden should have a maximum width of about 15 feet, especially for
lawns with more than about an 8 percent slope.
To determine the length of the rain garden:
1. Pick the best rain garden width for your lawn and landscaping.
2. Divide the size of your rain garden by the width to find your rain garden’s length.
10
Choose a size that is best
for your yard
Remember that these are only
guidelines. The size of the
rain garden also depends on
how much money you want to
spend, how much room you
have in your yard, and how
much runoff you want to con-
trol. Again, you can reduce
the size of your rain garden
by as much as 30% and still
control almost 90% of the
runoff. If the sizing table sug-
gests that the rain garden be
200 square feet, but there is
only enough room for a
140-square-foot rain garden,
that’s fine. A smaller rain gar-
den will usually work to con-
trol most stormwater runoff,
although some bigger storms
might over-top the berm.
EXAMPLE
Todd wants a 10-foot wide rain garden, so he divides 150 by 10 to find the rain garden
length, 15 feet.
✓
rain garden area
= length
width
150 ft
2
= 15 ft
10 ft
Runoff flows into a new rain garden (shown before plants are fully grown).
Rain Gardens – A how-to manual for homeowners
11
A note
on tools
The following
tools will help in
building the rain
garden. Some of
the tools are
optional.
•Tape measure
•Shovels
•Rakes
•Trowels
•Carpenter’s
level
•Wood stakes,
at least 2 ft
long
•String
•2x4 board, at
least 6 ft long
(optional)
•Small backhoe
with cater-
pillar treads
(optional)
Building the Rain Garden
Now that the size and place for the rain garden are set, it’s
time to get a shovel and start digging. Working alone, it will take
about six hours to dig an average-size rain garden. If friends help it
will go much faster, possibly only an hour or two.
• • • • •
Step 2
.If you are building the
rain garden into an
existing lawn, digging
time can be reduced
by killing the grass
first. A chemical such
as Round-Up can be
used, but a more
environmentally
friendly approach is
to place black plastic
over the lawn until
the grass dies. Also,
the best time to build
the rain garden is in
the spring. It will be
easier to dig, and the
plants are more likely
to thrive.
Before you start digging, call
Digger’s Hotline at 1-800-242-8511.
Digging the rain garden
While digging the rain garden to the correct depth, heap the soil around the edge
where the berm will be. (The berm is a low “wall” around three sides of the rain garden
that holds the water in during a storm.) On a steeper lawn the lower part of the rain
garden can be filled in with soil from the uphill half, and extra soil might need to be
brought in for the berm.
Start by laying string around the perimeter of your rain garden. Remember that the
berm will go outside the string. Next, put stakes along the uphill and downhill sides,
lining them up so that each uphill stake has a stake directly downhill. Place one stake
every 5 feet along the length of the rain garden.
Start at one end of the rain garden and tie a string to the uphill stake at ground level.
Tie it to the stake directly downhill so that the string is level. Work in 5-foot-wide sections,
with only one string at a time. Otherwise the strings will become an obstacle.
Start digging at the uphill side of the string. Measure down from the string and dig until
you reach the depth you want the rain garden to be. If the rain garden will be four inches
deep, then dig four inches down from the string. Figure 4 shows how.
If the lawn is almost flat, you will be digging at the same depth throughout the rain
garden and using the soil for the berm. If the lawn is steeper, the high end of the rain
garden will need to be dug out noticeably more than the low end, and some of the soil
from the upper end can be used in the lower end to make the rain garden level.
Continue digging and filling one section at a time across the length of your rain garden
until it is as level as possible.
In any garden, compost will help the plants become established and now is the time to
mix in compost if needed. Using a roto-tiller can make mixing much easier, but isn’t
necessary. If you do add compost, dig the rain garden a bit deeper. To add two inches
of compost, dig the rain garden one to two inches deeper than planned.
12
Leveling
the rain
garden
One way to check
the level of the rain
garden is to just
“eyeball” it. To do it
more accurately fol-
low these steps:
•When the whole
area has been
dug out to about
the right depth,
lay the 2x4 board
in the rain garden
with the carpen-
ter’s level sitting
on it. Find the
spots that aren’t
flat. Fill in the low
places and dig
out the high
places.
•Move the board
to different places
and different
directions, filling
and digging as
necessary to make
the surface level.
•When the rain
garden is as level
as you can get it,
rake the soil
smooth.
The perimeter of a rain garden is defined with string before digging.
Rain Gardens – A how-to manual for homeowners
13
6"
10'
downhill
stake
string
start
digging
here
uphill
stake
5% slope
string
base of raingarden
uphill
stake
downhill
stake
old lawn
surface
berm
10'
6"
8"
downhill
stake
string
start
digging
here
uphill
stake
10% slope
10'
8"
12"
4"
downhill
stake
string
uphill
stake
berm
old lawn
surface
Figure 4 Where to dig and where to put the soil you’ve dug.
a. Between 3% and 8% slope lawn
b. Greater than 8% slope lawn
Before
Digging
After
Digging
Before
Digging
After
Digging
14
Figure 5
The top of the downhill part of the berm
should come up to the same elevation as the entry
to the rain garden at the uphill end.
Making the Berm
Water flowing intro the rain garden will naturally try to
run off the downhill edge. A berm is needed to keep
the water in the garden, The berm is a “wall” across the
bottom and up the sides of the rain garden. The berm will need to be highest at the downhill side. Up the
sides of the rain garden, the berm will become lower and gradually taper off by the time it reaches the top
of the rain garden. Figure 5 shows how the berm should look.
On a flat slope there should be plenty of soil from digging out the rain garden to use for a berm. On a
steeper slope, most of the soil from the uphill part of the rain garden was probably used to fill in the down-
hill half, and soil will have to be brought in from somewhere else. After shaping the berm into a smooth
ridge about a foot across, stomp on it. It is very important to have a well-compacted berm, so stomp hard.
The berm should have very gently sloping sides; this helps smoothly integrate the rain garden with the
surrounding lawn and also makes the berm less susceptible to erosion.
To prevent erosion, cover the berm with mulch or plant grass. Use straw or erosion-control mat to protect
the berm from erosion while the grass is taking root.
If you don’t want to plant grass or mulch over the outside of the berm, you can also plant dry-tolerant
prairie species. Some potential berm species are prairie dropseed, little bluestem, prairie smoke, blue-eyed
grass, prairie phlox, and shooting star.
Note: If the downspout is a few feet from the entry to the rain garden, make sure the water runs into the
garden by either digging a shallow grass swale or attaching an extension to the downspout.
On a gentle slope, soil from digging out the garden
can be used to create the berm. This rain garden is
4 inches deep.
berm
downspout
uphill
uphill
downhill
Rain Gardens – A how-to manual for homeowners
15
Tips for designing an attractive rain garden
While rain gardens are a highly functional way to help protect water quality, they are also
gardens and should be an attractive part of your yard and neighborhood. Think of the
rain garden in the context of your home’s overall landscape design. Here are a few tips:
When choosing native plants for the garden, it is important to consider the height of each
plant, bloom time and color, and its overall texture. Use plants that bloom at different
times to create a long flowering season. Mix heights, shapes, and textures to give the
garden depth and dimension. This will keep the rain garden looking interesting even when
few wildflowers are in bloom.
When laying plants out, randomly clump individual species in groups of 3 to 7 plants to
provide a bolder statement of color. Make sure to repeat these individual groupings to
create repetition and cohesion in a planting. This will provide a more traditional formal
look to the planting.
Try incorporating a diverse mixture of sedges, rushes, and grasses with your flowering
species (forbs). This creates necessary root competition that will allow plants to follow
their normal growth patterns and not outgrow or out-compete other species. In natural
areas, a diversity of plant types not only adds beauty but also create a thick underground
root matrix that keeps the entire plant community in balance. In fact, 80% of the plant
mass in native prairie communities is underground. Once the rain garden has matured and
your sedges, rushes and grasses have established a deep, thick root system, there will be
less change in species location from year to year, and weeds will naturally decline.
Finally, consider enhancing the rain garden by using local or existing stone, ornamental
fences, trails, garden benches, or additional wildflower plantings. This will help give the
new garden an intentional and cohesive look and provide a feeling of neatness that the
neighbors will appreciate.
16
Planting the rain garden is the fun part! A number of planting
designs and lists of suggested plants are included at the end of this
publication. Use these for ideas, but don’t be afraid to be creative –
there’s no single best way to plant a rain garden. Anyone who has
ever done any gardening will have no problem planting a
rain garden, but a few basic reminders are listed below.
Planting the rain garden
Select plants that have a well established root system. Usually one
or two-year-old plants will have root systems that are beginning to
circle or get matted. (Note: use only nursery-propagated plants; do
not collect plants from the wild).
Make sure to have at least a rough plan for which plants will be
planted where. Lay out the plants as planned one foot apart in a grid
pattern, keeping them in containers if possible until they are actually
planted to prevent drying out before they get in the ground.
Dig each hole twice as wide as the plant plug and deep enough
to keep the crown of the young plant level with the existing grade
(just as it was growing in the cell pack or container). Make sure the
crown is level and then fill the hole and firmly tamp around the
roots to avoid air pockets.
Apply double-shredded mulch evenly over the bed approximately two
inches thick, but avoid burying the crowns of the new transplants.
Mulching is usually not necessary after the second growing season
unless the “mulched look” is desired.
Stick plant labels next to each individual grouping. This will help
identify the young native plants from non-desirable species (weeds)
as you weed the garden.
As a general rule plants need one inch of water per week. Water
immediately after planting and continue to water twice a week
(unless rain does the job) until the plugs are established. You should
not have to water your rain garden once the plants are established.
Plugs can be planted anytime during the growing season as long as
they get adequate water.
Planting and Maintaining
the Rain Garden
• • • • •
Step 3
Fire safety
Make sure burning is allowed
in your locale. If so, be sure to
notify the local fire department
and obtain a burn permit if
needed. It’s also wise – not to
mention neighborly – to make
sure the neighbors know that
you’re burning and that all
safety precautions are being
taken. Basic fire precautions
include:
• Make sure there is a
fire-break (non-burn-
able area, such as turf-
grass) at least 10-feet
wide surrounding the
area to be burned.
•Never burn on
windy days.
•Never leave an
actively burning fire
unattended.
•Keep a garden hose
handy in case fire strays
where it is not wanted.
Also have a metal leaf
rake in hand to beat
out flames that creep
beyond the burn zone.
Rain Gardens – A how-to manual for homeowners
17
Maintaining the rain garden
Weeding will be needed the first couple of years. Remove by
hand only those plants you are certain are weeds. Try to get out
all the roots of the weedy plants. Weeds may not be a problem in
the second season, depending on the variety and tenacity of
weeds present. In the third year and beyond, the native grasses,
sedges, rushes, and wildflowers will begin to mature and will
out-compete the weeds. Weeding isolated patches might still be
needed on occasion.
After each growing season, the stems and seedheads can be left
for winter interest, wildlife cover and bird food. Once spring
arrives and new growth is 4-6-inches tall, cut all tattered plants
back. If the growth is really thick, hand-cut the largest plants and
then use a string trimmer to mow the planting back to a height of
six to eight inches. Dead plant material can also be removed with
a string trimmer or weed whacker (scythe) and composted or dis-
posed of as appropriate.
The best way to knock back weeds and stimulate native plant
growth is to burn off the dead plant material in the rain garden.
However, burning is banned in most municipalities. Another
option is to mow the dead plant material. If the mowing deck of
your lawn mower can be raised to a height of six inches or so, go
ahead and simply mow your rain garden. Then, rake up and
compost or properly dispose of the dead plant material.
If the mower deck won’t raise that high, use a string trimmer or
weed-eater to cut the stems at a height of 6-8 inches. On thicker
stems, such as cup plant, goldenrods and some asters, a string
trimmer may not be strong enough. For these, use hand clippers
or pruning shears to cut the individual stems.
What does a rain
garden cost?
The cost of a rain garden will vary
depending on who does the work
and where the plants come from. If
you grow your own plants or bor-
row plants from neighbors there
can be very little or no cost at all.
If you do all the work but use pur-
chased prairie plants, a rain garden
will cost approximately $3 to $5
per square foot. If a landscaper
does everything, it will cost approx-
imately $10 to $12 per square
foot.
It might seem easiest to sow
native wildflower seed over the
garden, but experience shows that
seeding a rain garden has its prob-
lems. Protecting the seeds from
wind, flooding, weeds, and garden
pests is very difficult, and the rain
garden will be mostly weeds for
the first two years. Growing plugs
from seed indoors or dividing a
friend’s plants is much better. If
you grow plugs, start them about
four months before moving them
to the rain garden. When the roots
have filled the pot and the plants
are healthy, they may be planted in
the rain garden
18
The following pages contain conceptual planting designs and plant lists for rain gardens
with varying sun and soil conditions. Keep in mind that design possibilities for rain
gardens are almost limitless. Many landscape nurseries, particularly those specializing in
native plants and landscaping, can provide other ideas, designs and suggested plants.
Rain Garden Designs and Plant Lists
The following eight designs and plant
lists have been provided by Applied
Ecological Services, Inc., Brodhead, WI.
.
Rain Gardens – A how-to manual for homeowners
19
10 feet
wide;
full to
partial
shade
with clay
soils
20 feet
wide;
full to
partial
shade
with clay
soils
20
10 feet
wide;
full to
partial
shade
with silty
& sandy
soils
20 feet
wide;
full to
partial
shade
with silty
& sandy
soils
Rain Gardens – A how-to manual for homeowners
21
10 feet
wide;
full to
partial
sun
with clay
soils
20 feet
wide;
full to
partial
sun
with clay
soils
22
20 feet
wide;
full to
partial
sun with
silt and
sandy
soils
10 feet
wide;
full to
partial
sun with
silt and
sandy
soils
Rain Gardens – A how-to manual for homeowners
23
The following three designs and plant
lists have been provided by Prairie
Nursery, Inc., Westfield, WI
.
RAIN GARDEN FOR CLAY SOILS AND FULL SUN
AREA: 192 Square Feet
Designed to thrive through conditions of periodic water infiltrations as well as dry periods
Designed to control 45% of annual runoff from an average sized rooftop (500 to 700 square feet)
Install at least 10’ from your foundation, in-line with a down-spout and/or downslope to intercept the rooftop water
Depth of the garden designed to be 3.5” to 4” deep to hold about 200 gallons of water during periods of heavy rainfall
BLOOM BLOOM
LATIN NAME COMMON NAME AMT TIME COLOR HEIGHT SPACING
Asclepias incarnata Red Milkweed 7 early summer red 3’-5’ 1’
Baptisia lactea White False Indigo 1 early summer white 3’-5’ 2’
Iris versicolor Blue Flag Iris 7 early summer blue 2’-3’ 1’
Penstemon digitalis Smooth Penstemon 7 early summer white 2’-3’ 1’
Liatris pycnostachya Prairie Blazingstar 8 summer pink 3’-5’ 1’
Parthenium integrifolium Wild Quinine 8 summer white 3’-5’ 1’
Ratibida pinnata Yellow Coneflower 8 summer yellow 3’-6’ 1’
Boltonia asteroides False Aster 8 late summer white/pink 2’-4’ 1’
Rudbeckia subtomentosa Sweet Black-Eyed Susan 2 late summer yellow 4’-6’ 2’
Vernonia fasciculata Ironweed 8 late summer magenta 4’-6’ 1’
Aster novae-angliae New England Aster 12 fall pink/purple 3’-6’ 1’
Solidago rigida Stiff Goldenrod 12 fall yellow 3’-5’ 1’
Carex vulpinoidea Fox Sedge 96 1’-3’ 1’
184 plants
Rain Gardens – A how-to manual for homeowners
25
RAIN GARDEN FOR LOAM TO SANDY/LOAM SOILS AND FULL SUN
AREA: 192 Square Feet
Designed to thrive through conditions of periodic water infiltrations as well as dry periods
Designed to control 90% of annual runoff from an average sized rooftop (500 to 700 square feet)
Install at least 10' from your foundation, in-line with a down-spout and/or downslope to intercept the rooftop water
Depth of the garden designed to be 3.5" to 4" deep to hold about 400 gallons of water during periods of heavy rainfall
BLOOM BLOOM
LATIN NAME COMMON NAME AMT TIME COLOR HEIGHT SPACING
Asclepias incarnata Red Milkweed 7 early summer red 3'-5' 1'
Baptisia lactea White False Indigo 1 early summer white 3'-5' 2'
Iris versicolor Blue Flag Iris 7 early summer blue 2'-3' 1'
Penstemon digitalis Smooth Penstemon 7 early summer white 2'-3' 1'
Allium cernuum Nodding Pink Onion 16 summer pink 1'-2' 6"
Liatris pycnostachya Prairie Blazingstar 8 summer pink 3'-5' 1'
Parthenium integrifolium Wild Quinine 8 summer white 3'-5' 1'
Boltonia asteroides False Aster 8 late summer white/pink 2'-4' 1'
Rudbeckia subtomentosa Sweet Black-Eyed Susan 2 late summer yellow 4'-6' 2'
Vernonia fasciculata Ironweed 8 late summer magenta 4'-6' 1'
Aster novae-angliae New England Aster 12 fall pink/purple 3'-6' 1'
Solidago ohioensis Ohio Goldenrod 12 fall yellow 3'-4' 1'
Carex vulpinoidea Fox Sedge 96 1'-3' 1'
192 plants
Rain Gardens – A how-to manual for homeowners
27
RAIN GARDEN FOR SANDY SOILS AND FULL SUN
AREA: 128 Square Feet
Designed to thrive through conditions of periodic water infiltrations as well as dry periods
Designed to control 90% of annual runoff from an average sized rooftop (500 to 700 square feet)
Install at least 10' from your foundation, in-line with a down-spout and/or downslope to intercept the rooftop water
Depth of the garden designed to be 3.5" to 4" deep to hold about 400 gallons of water during periods of heavy rainfall
BLOOM BLOOM
LATIN NAME COMMON NAME AMT TIME COLOR HEIGHT SPACING
Asclepias incarnata Red Milkweed 4 early summer red 3'-5' 1'
Baptisia lactea White False Indigo 1 early summer white 3'-5' 2'
Iris versicolor Blue Flag Iris 4 early summer blue 2'-3' 1'
Penstemon digitalis Smooth Penstemon 4 early summer white 2'-3' 1'
Allium cernuum Nodding Pink Onion 18 summer pink 1'-2' 6"
Liatris pycnostachya Prairie Blazingstar 5 summer pink 3'-5' 1'
Parthenium integrifolium Wild Quinine 5 summer white 3'-5' 1'
Boltonia asteroides False Aster 4 late summer white/pink 2'-4' 1'
Rudbeckia subtomentosa Sweet Black-Eyed Susan 2 late summer yellow 4'-6' 2'
Vernonia fasciculata Ironweed 4 late summer magenta 4'-6' 1'
Aster novae-angliae New England Aster 8 fall pink/purple 3'-6' 1'
Solidago ohioensis Ohio Goldenrod 8 fall yellow 3'-4' 1'
Carex vulpinoidea Fox Sedge (sedge) 64 1'-3' 1'
128 plants
Rain Gardens – A how-to manual for homeowners
29
30
Special Rain Garden Locations
In addition to conventional lawns, there are other locations where rain gardens can be created. A rectangular-
shaped rain garden (above) was located in a narrow sideyard between two homes. A new rain garden (below),
now helps control runoff that would flow into a parking lot.
Rain Gardens – A how-to manual for homeowners
31
Rain garden designs and
plant lists provided by John
Gishnock, Applied Ecological
Services, Inc. (pages 19-22)
and Jennifer Baker, Prairie
Nursery Inc. (pages 24-29).
A how-to manual for homeowners
This publication developed by Roger Bannerman, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
and Ellen Considine, U.S. Geological Survey. Special thanks to John Gishnock, Applied Ecological Services, Inc.,
Jennifer Baker, Prairie Nursery Inc. and Joyce Powers, CRM Ecosystems Inc.
Photos by Roger Bannerman, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Layout design/production by Jeffrey Strobel, and editorial assistance by Bruce Webendorfer, University of
Wisconsin–Extension Environmental Resources Center.
This publication is available from county UW-Extension offices, Cooperative Extension Publications, 1-877-947-7827
and from DNR Service Centers.
The publication can also be viewed and printed from pdf format on the web at clean-water.uwex.edu/pubs/raingarden
Copyright 2003 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. University of Wisconsin–Extension is an EEO/Affirmative Action employer
and provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and ADA requirements.
University of Wisconsin–Extension
UWEX Publication GWQ037
1-06-03-5M-100-S
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DNR Publication PUB-WT-776 2003
A frosted rain garden
in autumn.
