Generally, a rain garden is somewhere between six and 12 inches lower than the surrounding area. If your yard is flat, you may need to plan to haul some soil away.

A rain garden should not be within 10 feet of any foundation, Ms. Wiles cautioned (and farther is better, if the property allows). ... to calculate the rate of infiltration.

'Rain gardens need proper soil structure that facilitates water infiltration instead of accumulating water. You need to mix in sand and organic matter to improve drainage in heavy clay soils.

Soil type. After choosing the depth of your rain garden, identify the soil type — sand, loam or clay. Sandy soils have the fastest infiltration, clay soils have the slowest, and loamy soils are ...

To improve the rain garden’s infiltration rate, the top 10-12 inches of heavy clay soil was removed and replaced with putting green aeration plugs that were comprised mostly of sand. Before using the ...

Rain gardens are characterized by a depression in the soil, collecting runoff from rooftops and driveways. They can catch up to the first inch of rain, allowing it to soak into the ground.

After performing a simple 24-hour infiltration test which determined the saturated soils could infiltrate at least 4.5” in a 24-hour period, areas were identified for new plantings that included ...

A rain garden can be a low-maintenance option for managing stormwater runoff in your yard. ... soil infiltration, and wildlife habitat along with reducing your community's carbon footprint.

Rain gardens can be installed in a relatively compact space of about 100 square feet, she said. The “it” factor is infiltration, the rate at which soil is able to absorb and, as a byproduct ...

These rain gardens are small vegetative areas that promote the infiltration of water into the ground. Rain gardens are a key tool to reduce storm water run-off and improve water quality. However, ...

Rain gardens should ideally be 10 feet from a home's foundation, ... 'It's a fancy name for a ditch that's engineered with the right infiltration plants and soils,” Matteson said.