In the corner of this backyard
is an area that gets wet and boggy
and an old drain that sometimes gets clogged.
Now, areas like this can be tricky to manage.
They can cause problems for buildings
or seep into the neighbour's property
if they hold water for a long time.
Now, the cost of specialist drainage can be quite prohibitive.
But don't worry - I have a solution.
A rain garden is a way to manage damp patches.
They're also known as dry creek beds,
temporary swales
or biofiltration rain gardens.
The basic premise is the same.
You put them in to help to drain water,
slow water flow
and to purify the water
as it passes through
the roots of the plants
that you put in your rain garden
as their roots take up nutrient and sediment
from the water passing by.
Now, this area's only about 4 x 4,
but you can quite literally build a rain garden on any scale.
As you can see, we've already begun site preparations
by taking out about 200 mil of the soil.
Now, we need geofab,
because that's gonna stop the elements of our rain garden
falling through to the substrate.
Now, this area, it's about 16 square metres.
So it's taken about 2.5 tonne of sand
just for that 200-mil level
of our first stage
and it took about a day of hard yakka just to get to this point.
And there's still a lot of work to be done.
With this particular garden, I wanna help with the water flow
during those big deluges.
So I wanna put some ag pipe through straight to the drain heads.
And that's up next.
Here you go. Thanks, mate.
Now, I've gotta dig a trench for this ag pipe,
so I've brought in my apprentice, my son, Kaani, to give me a hand.
There's a lot more work to be done.
Can you grab some tools for us, buddy?
Yeah, sure.
Now, the ag pipe, of course, can't just sit on the sand.
It needs a trench with some aggregate.
In this case, 20-mil blue metal.
So we've got a lot more work to get done. We'll see you soon.
Don't forget to phone the Dial Before You Dig service in your state
to prevent hitting any gas, power or water mains.
The basic function of a rain garden is to hold water
or to improve flow.
In this case, because it's on a slope,
we're using ag pipe to really help that flow through the garden.
Got it in?
Yep, that's perfect.
Now the pipes have been laid, we're up to the last layer.
The river rock on top surrounded by a border of larger sandstone boulders
will keep everything in place.
Now, it's going to look like a dry creek bed.
So like any watercourse,
a rain garden can be as haphazard or as neat as you like.
That's about it, mate? Yeah.
Let's get out of here, get some plants.
Alright.
So all the hard work's been done.
Now it's time to plant up.
So being a rain garden,
of course we want things that are gonna handle the wet.
So swamp lily. Perfect.
Some of the rushes. Knobby-headed club-rush, to be exact.
We've got a bit of ground cover in the dichondras.
And creek sandpaper fig as a beautiful feature.
So we've got a few of these that we're gonna pocket-plant
because, of course, there's lots of rocks.
We'll pocket-plant into a little bit of soil
and they'll get a foothold.
Those roots will filter out the water
and our biofiltration rain garden will work a treat.
Let's get to planting.
When planting, add about half a bucket of potting mix into the hole
to hold moisture for the roots to live off
when the sand isn't wet.
The plants in your rain garden have multiple functions.
As well as absorbing water in saturated conditions,
they create habitat for frogs and small animals
as well as providing beauty, shape and colour.
Now all that's left to do is water these plants in.
And you'll have to keep the water up to them until they establish.
But once they are established,
they'll do what they're supposed to do -
filter that water through when the rains do come.
The rain won't hold in pools,
so no mozzies,
but it will seep down, keep these fellas really happy and healthy.
And when the next big rain comes,
you'll be able to see your rain garden in action.
So if you've got a problem at your place,
a bit of a damp patch, why not think about a rain garden?
They're a cost-effective way to bring a bit of the Aussie bush
into your backyard.
And, of course, they take a bit of work,
but that's what sons are for.
Cheers, Dad. Cheers, Kaani. Thank you.