FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Farmers and landowners looking to reduce standing water should consider rain gardens as a tool to eliminate the problem, according to advocates of the practice.

Rain gardens are shallow depressions that fill with stormwater runoff during a rain event, said Martha Bishop Ferguson, owner of Riverview Nursery in Spencerville, Ind. The gardens use native plants and allow the water to infiltrate the ground within 24-48 hours, which helps prevent standing water and mosquitoes.

"A rain garden is a beautiful garden whether it’s raining or not," noted Ferguson, also a board member of the St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative. "The primary purpose is to improve water quality. Because they use native plants, they also provide habitat and food for birds, butterflies and pollinators.

"What’s in it for people? Beauty."

Use of native plants is important because they have deep roots that will survive in wet soil conditions, she said. They have a tolerance for being inundated and have adapted to the weather in the area.

Farmers may have a base of knowledge about native species because of their experience with buffer systems and buffer strips, Ferguson said. "If they apply this knowledge to their homes and outbuildings, they’ll improve water quality and see less runoff in their fields," she explained.

"A lot of farmers have ponds and they can use native plants in a rain garden around the ponds as a buffer strip, which will help improve the quality of water in the pond."

People often misunderstand the types of plants that are considered native, she said. "They think weeds or a meadow that can look kind of messy," she said. "They think ‘untamed meadow’ and may hesitate because they already have this nice landscaping. You can make a rain garden look like anything you want."

Plants native to northeastern Indiana and other parts of the region include River Birch, Paw Paw, Spicebush, Buttonbush, Swamp Rose Mallow and Blue Flag Iris. Swamp milkweed is important for monarch butterflies, as they lay their eggs on it, Ferguson said.

It’s important to educate people about the various looks a rain garden may have, said Mary Jane Slaton, program manager with Fort Wayne City Utilities. The city has offered rain garden workshops for the past several years.

"We use a lot of examples (during workshops)," she said. "Some rain gardens can look wild and woolly. Some can be very manicured with shrubs and trees, and a nice border. You can construct them in designs such as squares or rectangles. They mimic undeveloped nature."

Fort Wayne started its efforts to install rain gardens in the city as a part of an agreement with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the federal EPA over the city’s combined sewers, Slaton said. The sewers collect rainwater runoff and sanitary wastewater in the same pipes.

The federal Clean Water Act required the city to work to reduce combined sewer overflow. The city pledged $420,000 in lieu of a portion of fines levied for past violations to create its Catching Rain program.

Program officials initially had a goal of 1,000 rain gardens, a plan Slaton said was probably "a little ambitious." There are about 150 rain and 20 demonstration gardens around the city.

The cost to develop a rain garden varies based on its size, type of plants used and how much work landowners are able to do themselves. The cost could approach $20 per square foot if property owners hire someone to do a portion of the work. Most residential rain gardens in Fort Wayne are 80-150 square feet, Slaton said.

Rain gardens do require maintenance, especially in the first couple of years, said Kara Salazar, sustainable communities extension specialist with Purdue University.

"They’re not no-maintenance," she said. "It may sound strange, but you do need to water in the first year or so to be sure the plants are developing roots. You should also monitor the need for weeding and for mulch. The garden needs to be sized to properly capture water and drain within 24 hours."

This was the first year extension offered training programs about rain gardens, and Salazar expects them to be available again in 2016. "There’s a need for education and awareness. Some people have put up educational signs near their gardens to explain their purpose. They are a managed landscape feature, and aren’t meant to be unkempt."

For more information on rain gardens, including possible cost-share funds, check with local Soil and Water Conservation Districts or watershed organizations. Information from Purdue is available at https://ag.purdue.edu/extension/rainscaping

Ferguson’s website at www.riverviewnativenursery.com has information on native plants. A manual is available at a city of Fort Wayne website, www.catchingrainfw.org