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Landscaper raises eyebrows online with video of often misunderstood yard feature: 'That looks like a puddle to me'

"To the uninformed eye, there is no difference."

"To the uninformed eye, there is no difference."

Photo Credit: iStock

One landscaper, proud of a rain garden they had installed, shared a video of it on the r/landscaping subreddit and opened up the discussion to questions.

"Ask me about rain gardens!" they wrote. "This was completed about a month ago. Took about 4 days to complete, from removal of asphalt to planting. The depth varies between 12" to 14" from bottom of garden to overflow site."

When somebody asked what plants they had selected, they explained, "Garden is planted with over 500 native perennials and shrubs. As the plants establish and grow, the look of the garden will change significantly."

"I see rain gardens brought up in posts, but I think there is a misunderstanding of what rain gardens do," one commenter wrote. "People seem to generally think that the plants themselves sort of just soak up water as if they can cure an area with poor drainage. My understanding is that areas need to be dug out and amended to ensure proper draining before the plants are installed. Is that correct? Or am I the one that doesn't understand?" 

Another person replied, "A mix. You do want a bathtub shape to help hold and store water. The idea is to hold and let it infiltrate. The plants hold the soil and develop deep roots which will help get the water deep," they explained.

An effective rain garden is a money-saver for a homeowner, as it only needs rainwater to thrive. It also reduces runoff and acts as a natural filter, pulling out pollutants and keeping the surrounding soil and water table healthy and clean. 

Rain gardens are also beneficial to local ecosystems because they're primarily comprised of native plants, which allow local pollinators to thrive. In turn, these pollinators support a stable food chain, providing approximately one-third of the food that humans eat.

But for as effective as they can be, as several commenters observed, they can easily be misunderstood. "That looks like a puddle to me," one person wrote. To this, the original poster responded cheekily, "To the uninformed eye, there is no difference."

Another chimed in, explaining: "Rain gardens are designed to allow the water to enter the soil and be held there for the plants to then take up. They filter water and help reduce runoff.Puddles are just places where water sits on top of the soil."

If you were to switch from a grass lawn to a more natural option, which of these factors would be your primary motivation?

Making it look better 🌱

Saving money on water and maintenance 💰

Helping pollinators 🐝

No way I ever get rid of my lawn 🚫

Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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