Your raingardens
Across Melbourne, more and more people are designing and building raingardens in their own backyards.
Read what some of them had to say below.
If you have already built a raingarden, you can register it online and include a photo so we can celebrate your achievement.
Bernie Hoeber, Ferntree Gully
“I own my own business building sustainable homes, so I was keen to lead by example and show people how easy it is to create a beautiful, natural landscape and at the same time save water. My raingarden is inground and feeds into a pond on my property, before it overflows into the stormwater system. I really wanted a natural water feature that would attract frogs and birds. It’s still a work in progress but already the pond and raingarden have attracted some ducks.”
Gail Rossi, Rosebud
“I have always been passionate about conservation, so when I heard about Melbourne’s 10,000 Raingardens program I was keen to get started on building my own. Since our property backs on to a creek and we have free draining soil, I decided to build an infiltration raingarden because I wanted the water to go back into the natural system.
My raingarden is situated in front of windows so I chose low-growing natives, including grevilleas, melaleucas, and rushes. Now that the plants have grown, you can barely see the pipe that runs along the raingarden – it looks like any other garden bed. In fact, many people have commented on how attractive my raingarden is and how well it blends in with the rest of the garden.
I have derived great satisfaction from building my own raingarden. Not only have I created something beautiful, it also feels great knowing that I have done something good for the environment.”
Ella Boyen, Langwarrin
“One of the main reasons I wanted to build a raingarden was because our lawn frequently floods. I also wanted to attract frogs and create a beautiful landscape. Being passionate about the environment, I am also aware of the benefits of raingardens to the stormwater system.
I have chosen a swale style raingarden, which I built around the existing stormwater pipe. I have planted it with a variety of native grasses and reeds. It was pretty easy to build and has been a great success. Apart from the major benefit that the lawn no longer floods, the raingarden is full of the sound of frogs singing! Everybody who visits our place comments on how beautiful and natural it looks.”