Rain Garden Article

New Jersey Monthly, July 2010, Vol. 35, No. 7; Article by Lauren Payne; (view scanned image of article)

Let It Rain

"A backyard—or any yard—can be as good for the environment as it is for family gatherings. Case in point: rain gardens—an environmentally sound solution for urban storm-water runoff. Simply put, a rain garden is a concave area designed to absorb runoff from rooftops, driveways, and other paved surfaces that would otherwise flow directly into streams, rivers, and lakes.

“Our water sources are getting polluted with silt, fertilizers, pesticides, oil, and more,” says Rich Cording, a landscape designer in Ringwood who was recently certified by Rutgers University to install rain gardens. “A rain garden allows those same pollutants to be soaked up into the ground and the soil, then biodegrades them.”

Rain gardens look like regular gardens for the most part, but are designed to soak up 30 percent more water than a traditional lawn. While Cording and others caution that it takes an expert to design and install an efficient rain garden, there is a rule of thumb: Set aside approximately 300 square feet of space at least ten feet from the house in an area where water doesn’t already collect. Rocks, plants, flowers, and even trees add pleasant aesthetics.

“Pollutants are a huge problem in New Jersey,” says Cording. “Rain gardens are a huge green solution.” For information, visit: water.rutgers.edu/Rain_Gardens/RGWebsite/raingardens.html.

Rich Cording transformed this 300-square-foot space into a rain garden. The rock is Delaware River gravel, especially heavy so it doesn’t wash away. Rich Cording, CLC Landscape Design, Ringwood, 973-839-6026."


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