It’s time to stop letting our most precious resource slip into the public drainage system. Instead of sending rain down the drain to become polluted and get swept into our lakes and other waterways, you can harvest it from your roof and redirect it to your own backyard. Rain gardens act as big sponges that capture and hold storm water runoff so it can be absorbed back into the soil of your garden. Rain gardens are also beautiful habitats for birds and insects, making your garden hum with nature.

Water conservation experts Cleo Woelfle-Erskine and Apryl Uncapher walk you through the process of designing and building swales, French drains, rain gardens, and ephemeral ponds—the building blocks of rain gardens. Providing step-by-step instructions for rain barrels, simple living roofs, permeable patios, and planters that harvest runoff from the street, this rich handbook explains how to weave these elements into your current garden for maximum benefits.