Plant a Rain Garden
By Linda Mason Hunter

(First published in FiftySomething, publication of The Des Moines Register;
© 2009, Linda Mason Hunter/The Des Moines Register


Global warming is proceeding far faster than scientists previously predicted, according to a report issued in February by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Rapid changes, such as Arctic ice melt and increasing atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide, are spawning climate changes all over the planet resulting in volatile, unreliable weather—stronger storms, hotter summers, icier winters, soaking wet in some parts of the globe, achingly dry in others.

What does this mean for Iowa? Expect more flooding, predicts a study by the New York City Panel on Climate Change. And expect more storms--those once-in-a-century violent storms may hit every 15 years or more, according to the panel.


With heavy rain comes stormwater runoff, increasing the potential for flooding and carrying pollutants from streets, parking lots, and lawns into local streams and lakes. An inventive way to do your part to prevent stormwater runoff is to plant a rain garden. Rain gardens have several advantages: they reduce the risk of flash floods by helping stabilize the flow that enters waterways, both in terms of volume and temperature; they provide valuable wildlife habitat, and plants naturally filter the water, neutralizing some of the toxins that are present.


Locate your rain garden in a natural low spot where it can intercept runoff from hard surfaces such as streets, alleys, sidewalks, driveways, and gutters. But keep it at least 15 feet away from building foundations, utilities, and septic systems.


Remove soil to create a depression between four and eight inches deep in the center of the garden to collect rain and snowmelt. Blend in soil, sand, and compost mixture to enhance infiltration. Then plant with a variety of hardy plants that like water—sedges, rushes, ferns, wildflowers, shrubs, perhaps a small tree, with a border of mowed grass. Young plants, or plugs, are best because they are easier to establish and maintain. Be sure to match the plants with how much sun or shade they need. And be sure the plants are native, meaning indigenous to Iowa.


Water your rain garden regularly throughout the first season. Once established, it should thrive without additional watering. Shredded wood mulch helps retain moisture and discourages weed seeds from germinating.


Planting a rain garden is a good green idea.

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