Rain Gardens

Rain Garden Design Guide Cover

Rain Garden Design Guide

Rain Garden Design - Site Selection and Sizing Guide, Extension Circular EC1262.  This interactive publication provides basic information you should know before constructing a rain garden.  For best results, download this PDF document to your computer.  (PDF only, 11.3 MB)

Rain Garden Video

You can reduce water runoff from your yard by planting a rain garden. A rain garden is a small depression planted to flowers and ornamental grasses. It is designed to temporarily hold and soak in rain water from a roof, driveway or open area. A rain garden is not a pond or wetland. It is dry most of the time and holds water after a rain. Water collected in the rain garden slowly soaks into the soil and disappears in less than 48 hours.

Rain Garden Animation

A rain garden is a beautiful and functional addition to your yard.  Beautiful because of the plants you grow, functional because it helps control stormwater runoff from your property.  Watch our rain garden animation by clicking the picture below and see how a rain garden works, both above and below ground.  You can make it rain and watch the water flow.

Rain Garden Animation darkened

Rain Garden Resources

Practical Rain Garden video from Backyard Farmer on Extension TV. 

Nebraska Bioretention and Rain Garden Plants Guide, Extension Circular EC1261.  Information on a broad range of plants suited to bioretention and rain gardens in Nebraska and the Central Plains region.  64 pages.  Cost: $15.00. 

Rain garden site for City of Lincoln, Nebraska

See the Publications page for more rain garden and stormwater resources.


Information presented within the Stormwater Management section of this Water Web site has been reviewed by the University of Nebraska Stormwater Management Team.  Please contact Katie Pekarek, Kelly Feehan, or Thomas Franti with questions.

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