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:: RAIN GARDENS AND CONSERVATION LANDSCAPING ::

Montgomery County is currently offering two Rainscapes Rebate Programs. You can get a rebate of up to $1,200 for installing a rain garden, and up to $500 for conservation planting. Check out the requirements below:

>> Rain Gardens
>> Conservation Landscaping
>> Resources on Greener Landscaping Strategies

RAIN GARDENS

A rain garden is a planted area that mitigates stormwater runoff. It slows runoff and filters out harmful chemicals before they get to local streams.

You can place a rain garden wherever there is rainwater runoff on your property:

  • near gutter pipes
  • at the end of a dry streambed
  • or wherever the grading of your property directs stormwater.

Rain gardens must be at least 2 feet deep and filled with a bioretentive mix of sand, Leafgro and topsoil, in order to absorb sufficient rainwater. At least 75% of the plants must be native to the ecoregion (or cultivars)

At Five Seasons Landscaping, we have 20 years experience developing landscapes that mitigate stormwater runoff and provide native plant habitats, long before it became hip. But we do more than just create an environmentally beneficial garden design: we cultivate natural beauty that enhances your entire yard.

• Download a Rainscapes Rebates application here [pdf]: Help your local watershed, and beautify your neighborhood. Or, visit the Montgomery County's Rainscapes website:
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/Content/DEP/Rainscapes/home.html

CONSERVATION LANDSCAPING

Don’t have the budget for a rain garden? Try Conservation Landscaping. Montgomery County is offering rebates of up to $500.

A "conservation landscape" must meet the following specifications to quality for the County rebate:

  • For residential properties, established turf area to be converted must be at least 500 sq. ft.
  • No plastic sheeting (impermeable weed barrier) will be permitted in a turf conversion area.
  • A planting plan is required.
  • At least ¾ of the plants must be native plants to this ecoregion or cultivars.
  • A mulch layer is required to inhibit weed growth, prevent soil loss, and retain moisture.
  • Planting plan must include, at a minimum, information on plant species, container size, number of plants and planting densities, plant material source, soil amendments to be used, and maintenance plan.

The requirements may sound daunting, but they're what we've been doing for years in our landscaping designs. With Five Seasons Landscaping on board, you can depend on us to implement the Montgomery County guidelines and ensure a smooth, reliable proceess from start to finish.

Download the Conservation Landscaping application here [pdf] >>
Please note that this is the same document that provides information about rain garden rebates. When you open the pdf, scroll down to the Conservation Landscaping page, which is near the end of the document.

 

MORE RESOURCES ON RAIN GARDENS AND CONSERVATION LANDSCAPING

Here are some more resources on rain gardens, provided by the Montgomery County Department of the Environment:

• Rain Gardens: Harvesting the Heavens [pdf]: For imaginative landscapers, rain gardens may represent the perfect marriage of heaven and earth. Specially-designed garden areas help to receive and store rainfall, using that moisture to nourish an oasis of interesting native plant communities reminiscent of lush stream banks and freshwater marshes.

• Success in a Soggy Garden [pdf]: Many homeowners are frustrated by low-lying areas in their yards which are always a bit on the soggy side. Fortunately, these wet areas can be turned into desirable landscapes which are beautiful, easy to maintain, and beneficial to the environment. Using native or indigenous plants, you can transform mucky soils into lively gardens which will provide wildlife habitat, filter excess nutrients and pollutants from stormwater, recharge groundwater supplies, and control flooding. Natives are essential to this reclamation of wet areas. Over thousands of years, they have adapted to rainfall and seasonal temperature patterns; if you have a niche, they can and will fill it.

• Native Grasses for a Naturally Elegant Landscape [pdf]: The introduction of ornamental grasses to the American landscape is one of the defining moments in modern garden design. These grasses, planted in clumps or large masses, recall elements of the nation's vanishing prairie, while adding sophistication and panache to even the most groomed garden.

 

If you are interested in exploring the idea of either a rain garden or conservation landscaping, please contact us.