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Six Tips for a Successful Rain Garden

By Carole Ann Barth

1. Keep the drainage area small.  Ideally, one-half acre or less per rain garden. If you have a larger area, divide the drainage between multiple gardens and/or other management techniques.

2. Offset the rain garden.  Place the rain garden at an angle rather than directly in the path of the runoff.

3. Place the rain garden at least ten feet from your house.  You don’t want to encourage infiltration around your foundation.

4. Check out the soil.  Dig a test hole one foot deep, add water and see how long it takes to drain. Remember, you want your rain garden to drain in less than three days so mosquitos can’t hatch.  If necessary you can amend the soil with compost to improve drainage or use a soil mix.

5. Plant closely and choose natives that spread vigorously.  This will crowd out weeds and make your garden easier to maintain.

6. Plan for maintenance.  Water until the plants become established; weed and replace mulch as needed.