A Rain Garden acts as a miniature watershed. These gardens are dry most of the time and only hold water after rainfall. They absorb and soak up stormwater runoff that flows from buildings, rooftops, roads, parking lots, sidewalks, and lawns. This absorption slows the water flow and helps to recharge groundwater instead of allowing the runoff to flow downhill to become a destructive force elsewhere. Often, stormwater overwhelms municipal sewer drains, picks up pollutants as it flows, and reaches streams and creeks. This runoff can cause problems such as erosion, sediment pollution, and nutrient pollution (such as and excess of nitrogen from fertilizers and from sewage). These things ultimately cause perils to our drinking water and to wildlife inhabiting the waterways.
You can recreate this environmental concept in your Habitat Learning Lab (aka “Habitat Lab”) to mitigate water issues in the schoolyard and create a wildlife habitat at the same time. The species planted should be native to your area and specific to local riparian zones (area directly next to a stream including the area where water can overflow). These native plants will act as natural water filters and hold water and soil in place. The plants will also provide habitat and food sources to wildlife.
Below is information to help you build, use and maintain your Rain Garden:
Placement Suggestions
The area in which you place your rain garden should be low-lying with moist soil OR near a spigot, downspout, parking lot, or drainage area so that you can divert water into the rain garden or water the garden during drought.
The area should be flat and horizontal, along or at the bottom of a spillway to slow flow of runoff during rain. Rain gardens are often planted below and around downspouts, allowing for efficient use and direction of rainwater flowing from gutters lining the school building.
The area must be approved for digging. There cannot be any utility lines in the area.
The area can have either full sun or full shade. Be sure to choose the appropriate plants based on your sunlight conditions. See our plant suggestions below.
Determining Size and Depth
Calculate the drainage area, or the total surface area of impervious surfaces (like roofs and sidewalks) that contribute runoff to the rain garden. Assess your soil to determine if it’s sandy, clayey, or loamy. These two factors will determine how large your rain garden needs to be.
The ponding zone should be about 30-40% of the total garden area. It should be in the center and be the deepest. This will collect most of the water after heavy rain.
The transition zone should be 30-40% of the total garden area. It surrounds the ponding zone.
The upland or edge zone should be about 20-30% of the total garden area. It is the outer rim or highest side of the garden.
These FREE Materials Budget documents (listed below) include a list of all of the materials needed to construct a rain garden of your own:
These Project Plans (listed below) include an itemized budget and suggested source for supplies and construction instructions to help you create your own rain garden.
Visit our Plant Suggestions below to find a list of plants ideal for a pitcher plant garden.
You can also reference these three Alabama Extension PDF’s when planning and constructing your rain garden.
Below are plant suggestions for your Pitcher Plant Garden.
All of the plants listed are NATIVE to Alabama and grow best in our climate and soil conditions. Plants with maroon names include links to specific Dig into Plants webpages which include a description of the plant, photos, maintenance tips, and the ecological benefits that the species provides.
Below are free activity resources related to rain gardens:
AWF Student Investigations & Other Educational Webpages
The links below are to kid-friendly webpages that will help your students explore and research the habitats, plants, and wildlife in your Habitat Lab:
AWF’s Habitat Lab Field Investigation Activities
Additional Activities and Resources
Here are some ideas that encompass the core classes and more to help you implement the rain garden into a variety of lesson plans:
Literature Connections: The Book of Swamp and Bog: Trees, Shrubs and Wildflowers of the Eastern Freshwater Wetlands by John Eastman (ISBN 0-8117-2518-9); A Frog in the Bog by Karma Wilson (ISBN 10-1416927271)
Explain the significance of soil water retention and dig into these soil lesson plans.
Discovering Alabama is the longest running locally produced show on Alabama Public Television. It is hosted by Dr Doug Phillips, an environmental educator for the Alabama Museum of Natural History. Discovering Alabama programs are correlated with the Alabama Course of Study and, with accompanying Teacher Guides, support the teaching of K–12 academic requirements for science, history, social studies, geography and environmental education.
North River Watershed
Video | Lesson Plan
Alabama Wetlands
Video | Lesson Plan
These maintenance tips will help you care for your rain garden:
To allow classes to adopt the Pitcher Plant Garden, use the maintenance tips above along with this Learning Station Adoption Form (Word Doc | PDF).
To create a map of your school’s Pitcher Plant Garden, use this Example Learning Station Map & Plant ID Form (Word Doc | PDF).
Fairhope Educational Enrichment Foundation Rain Garden
