How to Plant a Rain Garden | Ask This Old House

Ask This Old House landscape designer Jenn Nawada plants a rain garden that filters storm runoff to prevent contaminating a marsh.
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Time: 3-4 hours

Cost: $1500

Skill Level: Moderate

Tools List:
Pointed shovel
Pick axe
Wheelbarrow
Metal rake
Hand claw

Shopping List:
Coarse Sand
Compost
Bark Mulch
Panicum virgatum (switch grass)
Clethra alnifolia (summer sweet)
Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry)


Steps:
1. Before digging, call the utility locating service to mark any underground pipes and wires.
2. Use marking paint to draw borders for the rain garden.
3. Scrape off any existing grass and roots in the garden location using a shovel.
4. Dig down 18” using shovels and discard the removed soil. A pick axe may be used to break up heavier soil.
5. Add 1-2” of coarse sand to the hole and spread it evenly with a metal rake.
6. Remove the plants from their nursery pots and stage in place.
7. Use a hand claw to tease the roots and encourage outward growth.
8. Backfill the hole using a soil mix that is 1/3 coarse sand, 1/3 compost, and 1/3 bark mulch.
9. Water the plants thoroughly, then cover in a layer of bark mulch.
10. Continue to water for a month until the plants are established and then the plants should survive on only rain water.

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Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.

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How to Plant a Rain Garden | Ask This Old House
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