Clean water is important to each of us as individuals, but water quality is also a regional concern.

And 10,000 Rain Gardens is a regional effort dedicated to educating citizens

For more information about rain gardens, including current events, please visit www.rainkc.com.

about what each of us does to improve water quality and manage stormwater on personal and community property.

What else can I do?

Save the rain for a sunny day. A rain barrel connected to your downspoutalso known as a rain bankis a great way to keep stormwater out of the sewer system and to cut down your water bill! Save money with reduced use of chemicals and fertilizers. Use proper application rates and the correct product for your desired result. Save labor with less lawn. Mow less and at a higher setting to conserve fuel and have a healthier lawn. Be a Garden Angel. Donate to the 10,000 Rain Gardens Field of Interest Fund. The fund purchases plants and materials for community rain gardens at schools, churches and low-income neighborhood One hour of mowing parks. Contribute online at with a 3.5 HP gas mower www.rainkc.com. creates the same air Register your rain pollution as driving a garden at www.rainkc. new car 340 miles! com. Together, we make a difference!

To learn about the Wet Weather Solutions program, go to kcmo.org/wetweather.

An opportunity for the future.

The 10,000 Rain Gardens initiative was launched in November 2005 along with a comprehensive public education plan to help citizens learn about their role in water quality. The rain garden, a shallow, basin-shaped garden lled with deeprooted grasses and owers, became both the symbol and central project for the initiative. In the past two years, several hundred rain gardens as well as rain barrels and bioswales have been installed and are working to reduce runoff. These personal efforts combined with commercial-sized green solutions, such as green roofs, pervious pavement and bioswales, yield a powerful cumulative effect to reduce ooding, erosion and pollutants in our rivers and streams. Working together, we will improve water quality and make a difference now and for the future.

Buttery Rain Garden Design by Dan Nelson, Embassy Landscape Group Sunny Rain Garden Design 63rd and Raytown Road, Raytown, MO by R. Peter Loughlin, Jr., ASLA, Loughlin Studios Johnson County Ofces Bioswale by Judy Allmon, Bluestem Landscapes

Every drop matters. Every drop counts.

Creating your rain garden

Rain gardens can be as beautiful as they are functional. In fact, many of our most beautiful regional plants need the type of regular moisture found in a rain garden to thrive. The moist soil of a rain garden supports vigorous growth from colorful native plants like Marsh Milkweed, Garden Phlox and Blue Lobelia. Native cultivars such as Grand Parade Bee Balm, Kobold Blazing Star and Kims Knee High or Summer Sky Coneowers are just a few more to consider to increase aesthetics and length of bloom time. To establish the size of your rain garden, calculate the square footage of the area where rain will runoff and divide by three. This will give you a rain garden that captures roughly 30% of the stormwater it receives. For rain gardens attached to downspouts, there are two additional steps. For example, take a 1,000 square-foot roof panel with two downspouts, one of which is connected to your rain garden. Divide 1,000 square feet (the square footage) by two (the number of downspouts). Multiply by one (the number of downspouts connected to your rain garden) and then divide by three to discover you should have a 167 square foot rain garden to treat the stormwater from one of the two downspouts channeled to your rain garden. To calculate the number of plants planted on 18 centers, divide 167 (the square footage of this area) by 2.25 to nd 74 plants. If your soil is extremely compacted or has a high clay content, double your square footage gure and increase the size of your rain garden, OR

amend your rain gardens soil (50-60% sand, 20-30% topsoil, 20-30% compost). Most important, disconnect your downspouts from our sewer system and channel stormwater to rain gardens and rain barrels. The smallest measures add up and help improve our areas management of stormwater. Remember, every drop matters, every drop counts!

In Missouri, call 1-800-DIG-RITE In Kansas, call 1-800-DIG-SAFE

www.grownative.org www.mobot.org www.rainkc.com

Once the size is determined, site your garden at least 10 feet away from your homes foundation. Use a rope or garden hose to test different shapes for your gardens footprint. Within the footprint of the rain garden, create a slight depression by excavating six to 12 inches of soil. This also helps by removing existing vegetation. Mound this soil in a shallow berm on the down side of the garden.

Arranging your rain garden plants

Select a rain garden design that suits your site, or create your own. Just group your plants with height, color and seasonal bloom in mind. Think bold. Moisture-loving plants will grow taller and more robustly so allow for plants to grow up, ll out and have room. If your garden is smaller in scale, consider native cultivars with more compact habits. Dont forget your greens. Native grasses, rushes and sedges provide structure and textural contrast as well as year-round interest. Plan for change. Get extra zip from any garden design by planning for a change of color scheme as seasons change. If youre not sure about how to select plants, or how to design, site and install your rain garden, dont worry. There are a number of local, qualied professionals who specialize in native landscape design, installation and maintenance. Visit www.rainkc.com for help.

Legend
CF BL MM SBF MF SG NA PC RV EB L Cardinal Flower Blue Lobelia Marsh Milkweed Southern Blue Flag Mist Flower Showy Goldenrod New England Aster Purple Coneower Rose Verbena Eastern Blazing Star Lantana or Coreopsis Heavy Metal Switch Tussock Sage

Note: Each square is 2' x 2'

Scale: 1" = 20"