Rain Gardens, Rain Barrels & More

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About Rain Gardens, Rain Barrels & More

RAIN GARDENS:
Rain gardens are shallow, planted water retention and infiltration depressions that you can build on your property to help slow and clean water coming off your roof, driveway and other impervious surfaces.

By building a rain garden on your property you can help mitigate flash floods and water pollution in your community. You will help restore groundwater and regulate water recharge. You will help your plants by encouraging water to go deeper into your soil.

Keep the rain garden lower than your house and away from the foundation. Start small and expand over time. Test a small area to see that the water absorbs into the soil in 4 hours or less before planting. If not you may need to investigate auxiliary drainage methods that are right for your local soils and precipitation.

Rain Garden Information Sources:
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain_garden

Brooklyn Botanical Gardens
www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/design/2004sp_raingardens1.html

A Rain Garden How-to Manual for Home Owners
www.dnr.state.wi.us/ORG/WATER/WM/dsfm/shore/documents/rgm...

Starting small - just getting started
www.dnr.state.wi.us/runoff/rg/littleone/small.htm

Article
www.dnr.state.wi.us/runoff/rg/RainGarden_genl_newsletter.pdf

Rain Gardens & Native Plants
www.native-raingarden.com/


RAIN BARRELS:
Adding rain barrels at your downspouts will provide you with free water to use on your landscape. Rain barrels and rain gardens can be designed together as a system so that overflow from the barrels is directed into the rain garden.

ANATOMY OF A RAIN BARREL
Water intake-
Filter system-
Container-
Overflow-
Faucet-
Support-

Rain barrels can be beautiful

fabzart@yahoo.com
919-672-8226

Helpful sites for building and installing rain barrels -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGFDlkJOdaM
www.gardenwatersaver.com/1.html
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzQ-vxHeKQw&NR=1

Big ones: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk_Vhbgj8Lk&feature=related
Feeling very ambitious?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KinpClgH-IE&NR=1
Syrup tanks: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XhY2DltWpk&NR=1

A more rustic approach with some good information...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCiX005jScI&NR=1

How to connect a faucet (using a trash can for a rainbarrel). Good instructions.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCiX005jScI&NR=1

www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0NZXTfZqcg&NR=1

This video highlights rain barrel problems & solutions.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6ndwzVu8Pw&feature=related

If you have more please share and they will be posted.

GREEN ROOFS:
Green (planted) roofs help reduce run-off, help reduce air pollution and moderate the temperature of the buildings they cover. They can also be designed to provide nesting and food for wildlife and food for people.

Green Roof information -
www.epa.gov/hiri/strategies/greenroofs.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_roof
Photos - greenroofs.wordpress.com/contact-us/

Post your photos of rain gardens, rain barrels, green roofs, infiltration strips and other methods of on site bio-retention water management. Show anything from design & construction through to a fully mature and functioning rain garden. Your thoughts and personal experiences are most welcome.

Start a discussion group to show a special project or list your favorite sources of information.