Rain gardens collect water runoff and permit it to soak into the soil.
The layman may simply call it a "water retention area." A plant lover who gardens sees this low-lying part of his landscape that occasionally but briefly floods with rainwater as a rain garden. The rain garden is an attractive planting bed with organized plantings of favorite shrubs or perennials that collects runoff from your Louisiana property. The low elevation collects the rainwater in a shallow pool and slowly soaks away into the ground rather than washing out unimpeded into the street or storm sewer. Any array of Louisiana native or exotic plants species will work well in a rain garden; just match the site with the plants' individual soil and sunlight needs. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Plant your rain garden in an appropriate location. According to the Louisiana State Ag Center, the garden needs to be located between the source of all the water runoff (such as your home's roof) and its destination, such as a culvert or lowest drainage elevation on your property. Further recommendations are to locate the rain garden bed at least 10 feet away from your house and at least 25 feet away from a septic system drain field. The Ag Center goes on to recommend placing the rain garden in a full- to partial-sun exposure, not in the shade.
2. Dig up the soil in the rain garden with a shovel. Remove any existing turf grass completely, but save some healthy sod pieces. Dig the area to a depth of 4 to 6 inches, and grade the area so there is a lower catch basin.
3. Use the excess soil from sculpting or grading the rain garden to create a small berm that is 6 to 12 inches tall on the lower side of the garden to help catch water runoff to pool in the heart of the rain garden. Cover this berm with the scrap pieces of sod you set aside in Step 2. The grass helps stabilize the berm soil and prevent any erosion once rainwater collects in it later.
4. Plant the vegetation of your choice in the cleared and tilled soil in the rain garden. Choose attractive plants, but also make sure you select species that tolerate occasionally wet or shallow flooded soil. On the upper, nonwet edges of the rain garden, you can plant a wide array of plants, since their roots will rarely ever be underwater. In the lowest center, only use plants that grow well in soggy soils or appreciate moisture. Do not use plants that require a well-drained soil or are naturally adapted to desert or arid conditions. Consult North Carolina State University's publication "Recycling Water and Organics in the Landscape" (see the Resources section) for a list of plants suitable for the American South in rain gardens and wetlands.
5. Dig planting holes with a shovel that are as deep as the root ball of the plants in their nursery container. Make the planting hole twice as wide as the root ball. Backfill the hole with the plant, making sure the top of the root ball is at the same depth in the ground as it previously grew. Do not plant too deeply, which can lead to root rot and plant death, even with wet soil--loving vegetation.
6. Mulch the rain garden area after planting with a heavy hardwood mulch. Layer it 2 to 3 inches deep to cover all the exposed soil in the garden area. Avoid using bark or other lightweight mulches that will float or wash away once water runoff from the property collects and pools in the rain garden.
7. Water the rain garden thoroughly to remove any air pockets in the soil from planting. Add 3 to 5 inches of irrigation to all planted areas through the mulch. Watering helps bring soil particles in direct contact with plant roots and assists in establishing them better with less dehydrated roots.
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