Rain Gardens
A rain garden is like a regular garden, except it has a depressed surface that allows for rain capture, purifying water as it drains. It is typically composed of perennials, shrubs, and grasses.
There are many native plants that work perfectly for a rain garden in Folly Beach, some include beautyberry and ironweed. These beautiful plants attract pollinators like butterflies and are ideal for flood control.
What are the benefits?
Rain gardens help capture rainfall, preventing flooding and overflow in yards. The plants filter the water that gets caught, simultaneously cleaning it. The water is then directed into the street for draining, except now the run-off is safer for the waterway, benefiting us and the environment. The diverse plants in rain gardens are a great way to spruce up yards and community parks, while also benefitting the environment. Since the plants are native and accustomed to the climate, they require minimal maintenance.
Things to know
First things first, find the spot where rain is most abundantly collecting in your yard. If you have a gutter or a place where rain trickles down and settles, place your rain garden there. If you don’t have a gutter, you can use a rain barrel or rain chain (aesthetic gutter alternative). This will help collect water and lead it to your rain garden.
Next, pick a shape! The most popular is a sort of kidney bean shape, but you can use any as long as it’s at least 8-10 feet long in the direction of water flow. The size of your rain garden should be about 25% the size of the area draining into it, for example if you have a gutter draining from the roof, it should be about 25% as big as your roof.
How to make a rain garden
Dig out your shaped area, remembering it should be 25% as big as the draining area. Make sure the surface of your rain garden is slightly depressed so that water can drain into it. Use the removed soil to make a ‘berm’, or a kind of elevated barrier around the garden to contain the rain. At a downstream point in your garden, where the water is flowing to, create a dip in the berm for water to flow out. You can also place rocks in this area to help with overflow and for decoration.
Pro tip: use about 6-10 different types of plants depending on how big your garden is for maximum productivity. It’s recommended to plant in odd numbers for a more natural look, for example buying your plants in 1s, 3s, 5s etc. Now, get to planting!
Plant recommendations for a Folly rain garden
Mostly shade: Wax mallow, garden huckleberry, seashore mallow, beautyberry, and river oats.
Partial shade: ironweed, saw palmetto, swamp azalea, cardinal flower, blue lobelia, cutleaf coneflower, swamp milkweed, switchgrass.
Full sun: dune sunflower, scarlet hibiscus, Virginia iris, buttonbush, dwarf palmetto, blanket flower, purple coneflower, butterfly milkweed.
For a more complete guide on how to build a rain garden and what plants to use, click here.
If you want to learn more about maintaining rain gardens, click here.
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