Homeowner shares stunning before-and-after photos of their rain garden: 'Beautiful plan and execution'

A homeowner has revealed the stunning results two years after they excavated part of their yard to create a rain garden, a landscaping technique that reduces flooding and stormwater runoff by creating a depressed area for water to accumulate before soaking into the soil. 

"Here's updated pics of this rain garden I excavated/planted in Oct '22!" the homeowner wrote in Reddit's r/NativePlantGardening community, sharing a series of photos of the garden.

The mostly native plants surrounding the rock-lined river are a verdant green, demonstrating how the rain garden has kept the original poster's yard well-watered with minimal effort.

"Beautiful plan and execution," one commenter marveled. "Kudos to you."   

The OP also included an early-stage image of the project so that other Redditors could see just how far their vision had come. 

"This is lovely! Thanks for the inspiration," another person said. "...  I'm integrating a rain garden so I love seeing what others have done."

In a comment, the OP explained further that the rain garden was a joint project with one of their neighbors, making them a lucky homeowner who hasn't had to have a potentially tough conversation with someone trying to complicate their resource-maximizing yard upgrades. 

Transitioning to a more natural lawn by incorporating native plants and grasses into landscaping designs doesn't just help protect against flooding and erosion. It also supports local wildlife and pollinators — all while reducing the cost and effort associated with maintaining outdoor spaces. Generally, people with natural lawns can save more than $200 each year on watering alone. 

As the OP revealed, their rain garden's retention abilities even ensured their lilies had a natural water source available during hot summer days, with the soil in the area being a "super dense clay," as the neighborhood was recently developed. 

"So beautiful," another Redditor wrote. "It's so nice to see native gardens in new-build communities!"

"Beautiful. And smart!" another agreed.

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