Using Rain Gardens to Keep Waterways Pollution-Free

Homeowners don't usually have the luxury of getting free rain gardens, of course. But teaming up with neighbors to put in a half-dozen or more at once is still a great idea. It multiplies the environmental benefits, reduces the work, and saves money. Neighbors can pool orders for plants and compost and share the cost of bringing in a crew with an earth-moving machine.

Rain gardens vary in their final look, though not their basic key components, which we explored in How a Rain Garden Works. For the plant list for the garden shown here, click next.