Rain garden planting

rainstorm prior to planting

We've got a small area of roof and a larger area of compacted lawn served by a created rain garden adjacent to our education building (at the South Carolina Botanical Garden).

Notice the stream of water entering off the pathway!

Our recent rain garden planting included a number of full-sun perennials that can tolerate periodic inundation, as well as droughty periods.

They're listed below, but my message, as the plant choice person, is that you need to know the conditions of your site, when choosing plants for a 'rain garden' which after all, is nothing more than a well-prepared perennial bed (and equivalent to a nice bit of natural vegetation/native plant community).

plants ready for planting

laid-out plants

Here's a look at what it looked like through the planting process.

after planting and before mulching

Plants used in the rain garden:

 

Iris virginica

Symphyotrichum novae-anglaie (Purple Dome) 

Symphyotrichum oblongifolium ‘October Skies’ 

Solidago rugosa  ‘Fireworks’ 

Vernonia noveboracensis

Muhlenbergia capillaris  Eupatorium dubium ‘Little Joe’

Chrysogonum virginianum

Vernonia lettermanii

Ruellia brittonia

And a bit more about the planning process was in http://naturalgardening.blogspot.com/2011/09/rain-gardens.html