Solve Your Drainage Issues with a Rain Garden!

Welcome back to Bountiful Gardens! It’s been a bit of a soggy start to the Summer, but that’s not stopping all these June blooms from flowering up a storm! 

In this post, you'll learn:

• Why and how a rain garden may solve your drainage issues

• How to design your rain garden

• The best plants for rain gardens, and where to plant them

• We can design and install a rain garden for you!

A beautiful native rain garden in early Summer

All landscape plants depend on the rain to grow and thrive, but you don’t want too much of a good thing! If you’re facing landscape problems related to excess rainfall, I would highly recommend planting a rain garden. 

A drainage basin transforms into a stream after a rainstorm.

But what is a rain garden? 

Ferns are classic rain garden perennials.

A rain garden is a great design solution in order to guide and move water into the landscape, to control the speed of water and where it goes in the landscape. 

The rain garden after an early Summer rain shower

With so much water gathering in one place, it’s important to choose plants that are appropriate for said space. You’ll want to have plants that can tolerate wet soil as well as intermediate moist soils, and average soils that would be on the higher parts of the rain garden. 

Following that thought, it can be helpful to picture your rain garden in Tiers, with the lowest being the wettest and highest being the driest. During a rainstorm, water will filter down from the top tier, collecting in the lower tiers where it will then percolate into the ground. 

It all starts with the drainage pipe connected to a nearby gutter system.

Your rain garden can be as big or as small as you need it to be—from a multi-tiered masterpiece to a small drainage garden at the end of a downspout. 

A gravel "stream bed" helps water infiltrate the soil rather than pool and sit.

To slow flowing water, and minimize standing water, I recommend having a stone bed from the entrance of the rain garden to the lowest tier. Essentially, you're making an ephemeral streambed for water to follow.

You can let your rain garden go wild with native perennials!

Now that we have an understanding of Rain Gardens, it’s time to learn what plants we can fill them with!

False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) is a great choice for a rain garden.

Heliopsis, or False Sunflower, is a fantastic flowering perennial for the middle tier of your rain garden. Its tall golden blooms make quite the statement.

Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia) works beautifully on the upper edges of your rain garden.

If you're looking for a native tree that can work well in the rain garden, check out Buckeyes! They have beautiful Spring flowers and unique palmate foliage.

Phlox is a graceful wildflower that adds a cottage-y touch to a rain garden.

Phlox is another great perennial for the middle tier of the rain garden. Its blooms come in tons of colors and is adored by pollinators.

The drier edge of the rain garden is the perfect spot for Goldenrod (Solidago).

Goldenrod is a great native perennial that can round out the middle and upper tiers of your rain garden while providing food and habitat for beneficial wildlife.

Dicentra (Bleeding Heart), in dappled shade.

Dicentra, or Bleeding Heart, is a classic perennial that can handle lots of moisture, making it a great addition to the lowest tier of your rain garden. It can also tolerate a fair amount of shade.

Ferns create a prehistoric vibe in the rain garden.

Rodgers Flower features foliage that looks like an ancient Pachysandra.

Ferns and Rodgers Flower are also fantastic additions to the lower and middle tiers of your rain garden, and both offer eye-catching, delicate foliage.

Burnet (Sanguisorbia) covered in bumblebees

Burnet features beautiful drooping pink flowers that bumblebees just can't get enough of! They're perfect for the middle tier of the rain garden.

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), in a native rain garden

Milkweed, in all its forms, is the Monarch butterfly's premiere host plant. It's also highly wetsite tolerant, making it perfect for all tiers of the rain garden.

American Water Willow (Justicia americana) blooms in our native plant section in Ewing.

American Water Willow is a lesser-known native aquatic perennial boasting cute pink flowers. It can tolerate standing water, so it's great for the lowest spots of the rain garden.

Coreopsis is a fantastic choice for drier parts of the rain garden.

Coreopsis is a native wildflower that thrives in the middle and upper tiers of the rain garden, drawing in plenty of pollinators.

Catmint (Nepeta) blooms in our Hillsborough perennial display.

Catmint is another beautiful perennial for the lower and middle tiers of the rain garden and features fragrant bluish/purple flowers that pollinators adore.

Summersweet Pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia), with bumblebees feasting away.

Finally, Clethra, or Summersweet Pepperbush is a native shrub that can tolerate full sun up to full shade and blooms in mid-late June. It's great for all tiers of the rain garden, and especially shines in the lower tier.

A shady rain garden nestled in the forest.

This is just the tip of the iceberg! Over time, we'll go over more plants for more scenarios so you can garden with confidence!

A closeup of the rain garden after fresh rainfall, featuring ferns, Carex and more.

Planting a rain garden is one of the best ways to beautify your landscape while also solving issues with excess water on your property. Better yet, you’ll be providing pollinators and wildlife with an abundance of pollen, nectar and habitat! 

A look at the menagerie of native plants thriving in the early Summer rain garden.

And don’t be daunted! If you need any help designing or installing your Rain Garden, our expert team is here to help you every step of the way. So what are you waiting for? Come on down to Bountiful Gardens and start planting more today!

A shady seating area in the forest, overlooking the rain garden.

Check out this blog post in video form below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwn_XyDQJvY