Rain Garden

This rain garden was designed to alleviate a drainage issue that was causing driveway damage.  The downspout was was collecting apprx: 835sq. ft. of runoff.  In a 1” rain event this would equal to roughly 520 gallons of water being dispersed in area that was not designed for it.  The garden area next to the roof was  underdeveloped and consisted of mostly invasive vinca.  The homeowners wanted to address the runoff issue and improve the aesthetics of this highly visible spot. In this instance a rain garden provided a solution to both issues. The planting palette had to be shade tolerant and able to endure short intense wet periods and long dryspells.  After a season or two the plants will be touching ‘green to green’ and will shade the ground level cutting down on weed pressure.