We don’t know how much rain we will get this season, but we can be prepared for it. Don’t let that rain water run off your roof, down your driveway and into the streets, storm drains, and creeks where it may cause flooding. Instead direct it into your garden, allowing it to percolate downward, recharging our local aquifers and purifying the water as it passes through the soil. Learn how rain gardens keep water on site, yet away from buildings, how to construct them, and which California native plants are best suited for them.

Alan Hackler is the owner of Bay Maples, a design-build firm and native plant nursery in the South Bay. His own rain garden has been on the Going Native Garden Tour and he has built many rain gardens for clients.