Build a Rain Garden at Home

It's Simple to Install!

Did You Know? Our community could treat and recharge one million gallons of water each year if we built 40 rain gardens!

Rain gardens are an easy way to protect our community’s water resources and promote native habitats and landscapes. Rain gardens intercept, treat, and infiltrate stormwater at its source and are simple to install at home. Built as a shallow landscaped depression, rain gardens can be a butterfly habitat, wet meadow, perennial garden, trees and shrubs, along a sidewalk, or even a parking island!

The key to a successful rain garden is planning, and the key to successful planning is research! What materials do I need? Where is the best place to build? How large or small should I make my garden? The answer to all these questions (and more!) can be found in The Native Plant Society of New Jersey’s free rain garden manual. The manual outlines a step-by-step way to plan, install, and maintain a rain garden at home. View the guide here: https://npsnj.org/pages/nativeplants_Rain_Gardens.html?fbclid=IwAR1xntaVpyyX9ahUEaoH48a5lUney7e8hucWGNr4Z461cUW74px4WfXScVA

Here are a few simple tips:

1. A rain garden should be about twice as long as it is wide.
2. Rain gardens should be planted at least 10 feet away from buildings with a basement. If there is not a basement, the garden can be placed two feet away.
3. Be sure to locate utility lines before you start to dig!
4. Do not build rain gardens near trees. Soil near trees has the best drainage and should not be disturbed.