At the most basic level, rain gardens function like sponges. They are typically made by digging five or so feet into the ground, adding layers of rock and soil mixes designed to absorb and filter water, and topping the layers with flowers, trees, and shrubs. A finished rain garden should dip like a bowl about half a foot below ground level so that when it rains, the garden can temporarily fill up, allowing water to percolate into the ground rather than run into the street.
Thinking of building a rain garden? Here's how you could get $1000 toward it
The London Environmental Network is offering to reimburse up to $1,000 to those in London, Ont. who install rain gardens on their property. A rain garden is a landscape feature that is both aesthetically pleasing and good for the environment. The bowl-like structures are dug into lawns to collect rain and melted snow that runs off grass, roofs and driveways in urban areas.