Are you wondering what a rain garden is and whether a rain garden can help your landscape? Join The Ecological Landscape Alliance on June 2 online at noon for a primer on these beautiful and functional gardens that create a more sustainable landscape.
A rain garden is a garden of native shrubs and perennials planted in a small depression, which is generally located where storm water runoff occurs. It is designed to temporarily hold and soak in rain water that runs off roofs, driveways, patios, or lawns.
Rain gardens are effective in binding many nutrients and chemicals and trapping many sediments so they do not enter aquifers and water bodies.
Compared to a conventional lawn, rain gardens allow more water to soak into the ground. The bonus is that the native plants in the rain garden also support pollinators.
A rain garden is not a water garden. Nor is it a pond or a wetland. A properly designed rain garden is dry most of the time. It typically holds water only during and following a rainfall event. Because rain gardens will drain within 12-48 hours, they prevent the breeding of mosquitoes.
Rain gardens, as part of successful rain water management, rely on plant material for soil stabilization, contaminant filtering, nutrient absorption, and to slow rainwater for infiltration. Well designed rain gardens, with the appropriate plant material, can greatly improve the results of rain handling. Selecting appropriate plants for rain gardens is a critical first step to their success. Beyond plant selection, proper site preparation and periodic maintenance are critical components of long-term success of a rain garden. In this webinar, Amanda Sloan describes what rain gardens are, explains the elements that go into a successful rain garden project, and will help you decide if a rain garden is a good option for your landscape.
Amanda Sloan is a landscape architect with 28 years of experience on a wide variety of projects in landscape design and architecture including native plant gardens, dog parks, accessible trails, school and playground gardens, rain gardens, and environmental design throughout New England. Her experience includes project design and management from conceptual design through bid documents; peer review; presentation illustrations; and writing. Bringing her strong interest in the connections between people and nature to her work, Amanda is well versed in the use of native plants and ecological approaches to design. Before recently forming Raingarden Design Studio and becoming an independent consultant, Amanda worked long-term as a landscape architect for BETA Group, Inc. Previously Amanda was a landscape designer with Julie Moir Messervy Design Studio, and a landscape architect with GLA Landscape Architecture. She was president of the Sharon Garden Club and served for 5 years as an elected member of the Sharon Planning Board. She currently serves on the boards of the Ecological Landscape Alliance, and Rolf Sylvan Gardens in Chatham, MA.
The webinar is free, but registration is required at www.ecolandscaping.org
