A rain garden provides not only beauty and habitat for our
favorite songbirds and butterflies, it also conserves precious water supplies
and downstream drinking water sources, protecting the water quality necessary
to support our economy, recreation, tourism, agriculture and industry. A rain garden is a garden designed as a shallow depression to collect water that runs off from your roof, driveway and other paved areas. It is a sustainable and economic way of dealing with rainfall as nature intended.

Rain Gardens

<li>Easy to construct, low cost and beautiful.</li><li>Home to native birds, butterflies and other local wildlife.</li><li>A green solution to managing stormwater where we live.</li>

Building a rain garden makes you a part of growing community working to protect our waterways! Read more to learn how to create yours today.

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<ul><li>The bad news?&nbsp;We all live downstream and the rate of growth and development have increased stormwater flows.</li><li>The good news?&nbsp;We can be part of a green solution to reduce stormwater pollution by building rain gardens!</li></ul>

<li>Planting a rain garden is your personal contribution to cleaner water.</li><li>Each rain garden planted will add up to bring tremendous benefits to you and your watershed!</li><li>Your rain garden makes you a part of growing community working to protect our waterways!</li>

A rain garden provides not only beauty and habitat for our favorite songbirds and butterflies, it also conserves precious water supplies and downstream drinking water sources, protecting the water quality necessary to support our economy, recreation, tourism, agriculture and industry.

Rain Gardens can be designed in many different ways!

<a href="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/2e8c134c278d4066a4a5df865c0fb368" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Step 4. Garden Maintenance</a>

A rain garden is a garden designed as a shallow depression to collect water that runs off from your roof, driveway and other paved areas. It is a sustainable and economic way of dealing with rainfall as nature intended.

<a href="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/443fb2c076484189b1c683b011e00bcd" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Step 1. Location and Site Preparation</a>

Help us green our neighborhoods and protect our streams in our local watersheds! We all live in a watershed! Participate in a community rain garden planting or install a rain garden in your own yard! Your support will help to keep our waters healthy and protect our communities from flooding and polluted runoff during storms. To find out more visit <a href="http://delawarewatersheds.org/about-rain-gardens/" target="_blank">Delaware Watersheds</a> or call 302-739-9939.

<a href="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/164e5ec3fdf249ed8383d0a783b5ee41" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Step 3. Construction of the Garden</a>

<li>The soil and plants absorb the water and filter pollutants.<li>The garden slows down and reduces the volume of rainfall runoff before it enters the stormwater system.</li><li>Yet it is not like a pond because it drains quickly.</li></li>

﻿Help keep water clean by filtering stormwater runoff before it enters the local waterways or storm management systems.

Rain Gardens come in all different sizes!

Are you ready to create your own rain garden? There are four steps to the process. Click on each step to learn more specifics about creating a rain garden.

Did you know that stormwater runoff is one of the leading sources of pollution to our waterways? Stormwater runoff and speed are influenced by paved surfaces such as roads, parking lots, driveways and roof tops.

Why are Rain Gardens Important?

Rain Gardens can be placed at a home, school, or business!

<a href="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/f58badab903743de8ee14575d43207b7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Step 2. Garden Design and Plants</a>

Why Build A Rain Garden?