Rain Gardens
Everyone can make a difference to our rivers just by changing the way they manage rain in their gardens.
We have developed the Rain Garden UK training course to help gardeners or people interested in setting up commuity projects to build effective rain gardens and rain water planters.
More course details are on our Rain Garden UK website
Why build a rain garden?
As climate changes we are seeing more cloudburst type rainfall, with heavy deluges that overwhelm our drainage network, causing local surface water flooding and sewage spills into our rivers. These rainstorms are often followed by long dry periods, so it's important that we look for ways to slow the flow of rainwater, catch what we need to water our gardens and create space for water to soak into the ground slowly instead of rushing off down drains to either the river or the sewage treatment works. This is known as Sustainable Drainage or SuDS. If you'd like to find out more about the benefits of rain gardens click here or come on one of our workshops to learn more.
Three easy ways to manage water in your garden
Water butts
The first and simplest thing to do is install a water butt. The average roof collects enough rainfall to fill 300 water butts with rain every year. Some water companies and councils offer water butts at a discount or even free, so check offers in your area.
To create a rain garden there are a few basic rules to follow, our Rain Garden UK training course will guide you through in simple steps so that you are empowered to build your own with confidence.