If you improve the soil before planting, your plants will have a healthy start.

Native Plants for Rain Gardens

We recommend our beautiful native species for rain gardens, or a combination of cultivated varieties and natives. The advantage of using natives is that they will thrive with little care, once established.

Although native plants species are low maintenance, that doesn’t mean NO maintenance. Designing the garden for easy maintenance is part of your planning process. If you use or adapt existing garden site plans, keep the following guidelines in mind:

Put the right plant in the right place. Choose plants or a design suited to the existing conditions of the site. For example; if a garden is in deep shade then plants that require sun are not going to thrive. Some plants are adaptable as to soils, and some are not. Choose with the needs of the plants in mind.

If a plant is not happy, move it. Rain gardens also have three zones; very wet, wet-to-dry, and dry areas at the edges. Our rain garden plant database will let you identify which zone each plant does best in, but you will have to evaluate your own garden to see where in your garden the plants you select will thrive. If a plant is not doing well in one location of the garden, it's a good idea to move it. Sometimes the wettest areas are not where you thought they would be!

If you use a design with tall plants, think about how this will affect the view. Some prairie plants can grow ten feet tall. This could be a good thing, or it could inconveniently block the view of street traffic from your driveway.

Mulch makes things easier. Plan to mulch your rain garden, which will keep it moist, protect your plants, discourage weeds, and make weeds easy to remove. How much mulch? A cubic yard of mulch will cover approximately 100 square feet 3" deep. A 10 X 20 (200 square feet) rain garden will require 2 cubic yards of mulch.

A rain garden is a GARDEN. Remember that a rain garden is not merely a functioning infiltration system. Rain gardens can and should be beautiful—an attractive improvement to your property. Choose your plantings to delight, and arrange them so that they are pleasing to your eye.

Rain gardens also tend to become wildlife oases—you can expect and should plan for songbirds, butterflies, colors, fragrances, and sounds. And—depending on your neighborhood—you may have squirrels, rabbits, or deer visiting your garden regularly.

Choosing your plants

We recommend native plant species, since they are naturally adapted to the wet and dry cycles and seasons of Michigan weather and will generally require the least maintenance. 

Natives will grow bigger with fertilizers, but don’t require them. They won’t require spraying with pesticides. Just think of the reduced chemical load in your yard! Much healthier for you, children and pets.

Native Michigan species may be available at some local plant retailers, but usually have to be purchased from native plant nurseries. See the navigation or site map for an introduction to our native plants, and information about where to purchase them in our area.

Big Pots Mean Deep Roots

Choose plants that have healthy root systems. Larger plants are more costly, but the bigger pot size allows for more roots. Those roots are very important, as the healthier the root system, the sooner the plants will  be established.

If you plant in the fall, some of your plants may be dormant. Do not throw these dormant plants away! They are still alive in their pots, and will sprout up from those healthy, deep, perennial root systems in the spring to dress up your rain garden in a fine fashion.

Planting Day!

Our garden designs are on a grid, which can be transferred to your garden site. We lay out the grid with string or soccer-field marking paint. Then we place the plants, in their pots, at the location on the grid where they are to be planted. If we are working with volunteers, we then instruct them on how to plant.

Plants must be removed from their pots before planting (some people really do need to be told this). Don't pull them out by the stems, or you may damage the plant. Instead, loosen the root ball, then slide the plant gently out of the pot. Break the root ball up slightly, and place the plant in the soil at the same level it was growing in the pot. Generally, it is a good idea to demonstrate this a couple of times before turning your volunteers loose in the garden.

Once the plants are in, give them a good watering to get them settled into their new home.

Once the plants are in, the mulch is applied. A shredded hardwood mulch is best, as it breaks down more slowly and clings to itself and to the soil. Be sure the crowns of the plants are free of mulch.

If there is a specific spot where rain is flowing into your garden, you will have to break up the flow with a few strategically placed rocks. Otherwise the force of the rain entering the garden will cause erosion. This, too can be part of your attractive design.

Now your rain garden is complete, and a celebration is in order!

Next, learn how to care for your rain garden.