Rain gardens can be included in sustainable garden designs as a way of managing flash floods and excessive rainfall.
Essentially, a rain garden is a planted depression that is designed to absorb rainwater runoff from impervious surfaces such as paving and driveways.
They are of particular importance in urban garden designs where the proportion of impermeable surface is likely to be higher than in rural areas.
In times of heavy rainfall, the water is directed into these depressions, swales and gullies – where the stormwater soaks into the ground. Rain gardens can significantly reduce surface erosion and can successfully manage problem areas in gardens - such as lawns that regularly to flood.
Planting a rain garden requires specialist plant knowledge because the plants need to be able to cope with wetland conditions, flooding (often for several days whilst the water is soaking into the ground) and drought!
But rain gardens are only one weapon in the sustainable garden designers armoury. There are several other devices that can be used to manage water and create a greener garden.
