Stormwater Management
Rain Garden
Design for
Canadian Lots
Detailed reference material on sizing, planting, and maintaining rain gardens that handle roof runoff and surface drainage on residential properties across Canada.
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Rain Garden Guides
Field-tested information on placement, plant selection, and drainage management for residential properties.
How to Size and Position a Rain Garden on a Residential Lot
Step-by-step approach to calculating basin dimensions based on impervious surface area, soil type, and slope conditions on typical Canadian residential parcels.
Updated May 12, 2025
Native Plants Suited for Rain Garden Drainage Zones
A review of native species that tolerate alternating wet and dry conditions in Canadian rain garden drainage zones, with notes on hardiness and root depth.
Updated April 29, 2025
Managing Roof Runoff with Downspout Diverters and Swales
How to redirect downspout discharge using diverter kits and graded swales to feed a rain garden rather than allowing runoff to sheet across driveways or into foundations.
Updated May 3, 2025
Why Rain Gardens
Where Stormwater Meets Soil
Conventional drainage infrastructure routes rainfall from rooftops and paved surfaces directly into municipal storm sewers. On residential lots, a rain garden intercepts that flow at the source — allowing water to infiltrate gradually through a planted basin rather than overwhelming downstream systems.
Across Canadian municipalities, stormwater regulations increasingly require property owners to manage a portion of runoff on-site. A properly constructed rain garden can satisfy these requirements while also reducing erosion, filtering sediment, and supporting native pollinator habitat.
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