Rain Garden Design Manual

The iowa rain garden design and installation manual was assembled in cooperation with the following conservation partners.

Rain garden design manual. The inclusion of topsoil in the mix can greatly reduce infiltration and also ultimately causes less water to be retained. Determine rain garden size and depth. These steps will guide you through the process click on each topic in the flowchart below to view that section. Assess yard identify potential rain garden sites designs design planting layout or use a rain garden template that is sized for your site 10 feet measured along the overflow path between the rain garden overflow point and the nearest impervious surface.

Five hardy and long blooming plants you can. In the case of larger storms rain gardens are designed to overflow through a simple dip in the berm on the downstream side of the garden which can be reinforced with river rock to ensure stability of berm. Rain gardens a how to manual for homeowners 3. Think of a rain garden just like a border or foundation planting rather than a beloved specimen tree.

Plants that you install in the center of the garden will experience longer periods of wet garden soil and will thrive in these moist conditions. Rain gardens are designed to capture one inch of rainfall and infiltrate the water within three days. This is due to the way a rain garden functions as a water abatement feature which depends on the deep roots of perennial plants. Create the rain garden by building a berm in a low spot in the yard then build swales to channel runoff from the gutters and higher parts of the yard.

Proper rain garden design dictates that only perennial plants be installed. Rain garden design tips. Consider all the rules of composition screening and circulationnot just the rule that says to put a rain garden in a low spot 10 feet from the house. Sizing and siting the rain garden t his 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.

The water is then absorbed into the soil through the network of deep plant roots. Rain gardens should be dug to a depth of approximately 85 centimetres or deeper if youre building a small rain garden. Table of contents. Design rain gardens for parking lots busy streets and other heavily used paved areas where stormwater would require pretreatment before entering a rain garden.

In other words it should not be a stand alone feature. The ground under a rain garden should not be packed down so try to stand outside of the garden area as much as you can and avoid placing any heavy instruments or machinery inside the digging area. Design and build a rain garden. Now that you have determined that a rain garden is right for your site you are ready to design and build one.

Septic drain field building foundation 10 min. Use a mix of plants adapted to your area and to the different water depths.