The Transformation
See It Before and After
Drag the slider to see this rain garden bed before Aaron's crew expanded it, and after the new section filled in.
Before
After
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Rain gardens that solve drainage problems beautifully - catching runoff, filtering it naturally, and filling your yard with native plants that thrive without any extra watering.
Request a ConsultationDrag the slider to see this rain garden bed before Aaron's crew expanded it, and after the new section filled in.
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A rain garden is a planted depression that catches and absorbs runoff from your roof, driveway, or lawn before it reaches storm drains or neighboring properties. Done right, it solves a real drainage problem, reduces your yard's runoff by a significant percentage, and provides a beautiful planting area that looks intentional rather than remedial. Done poorly, it's just a wet spot with sad plants in it.
Aaron designs rain gardens that look like garden features first and drainage solutions second. He selects plants for their ability to handle both temporary inundation and dry periods between rains - the specific stress cycle of a rain garden - while also providing seasonal color, wildlife value, and visual interest from multiple angles. Native plants are particularly well-suited to this work, having evolved to handle exactly these conditions.
The site work matters as much as the planting. The basin needs to be sized and located correctly relative to your drainage area, with proper inlet and overflow design so it handles a heavy rain event gracefully. Aaron handles both the engineering and the aesthetics, so you end up with something that works AND looks like it belongs.
Start a ConversationAaron has built 66 rain gardens in Washtenaw County and has been a certified Master Rain Gardener since 2014. Every rain garden on the county’s published contractor list has been inspected by Washtenaw County staff and confirmed correctly built: design, digging, planting and maintenance.
We take this work on across Washtenaw County. See what we build in Ann Arbor and Lodi Township, or get in touch about your own property.
Common Questions
A shallow planted depression positioned to catch runoff from a downspout, a driveway, or a low point, and let it soak into the ground over a day or two instead of running to the street. It's a drainage solution that looks like a garden bed, which is why it works in a front yard where a dry well wouldn't.
It shouldn't. A correctly built rain garden drains within roughly 24 to 48 hours, too fast to breed mosquitoes, which need considerably longer. If a rain garden holds water beyond that, the soil beneath it wasn't amended properly for our clay.
The City of Ann Arbor has run stormwater credit programs for practices that reduce runoff from a property, and Washtenaw County has promoted rain gardens as well. Aaron's company appears on the county's rain garden contractor list. Programs and eligibility change, so confirm the current details with the city before counting on a credit.
Natives that tolerate both flooding and drought, since a rain garden swings between the two. Switchgrass, blue flag iris, swamp milkweed, joe-pye weed, cardinal flower and sedges all perform well here, and they bring the pollinators with them.
Aaron designs rain gardens that are genuinely beautiful while solving the water problems that have been frustrating you.
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