attending a landscaping seminar, David Ciepluch decided to
transform part of his yard into a rain garden; it now contains
40 to 50 species of plants and grasses. We’ve all heard the
children’s song "rain, rain, go away," but to where? Rain falls
on roofs, driveways and roads — areas where it can’t soak in.
The water rushes off in heavy volumes, sweeping pollution like
oil and debris into storm sewers and causing overflows. Polluted
water runs into small creeks with a destructive force. One
solution that individual homeowners can do is to create a rain
garden — an infiltration technique where water is captured in a
garden full of native plants. There, the water slowly filters
into the ground and replenishes groundwater as the plants trap
pollutants. When the gardens are filled with native perennials
and shrubs, which are adapted to local conditions, they also
become oases for butterflies and other wildlife. Milwaukee’s
David Ciepluch had a traditional yard, and was planting many
annuals and spending a lot of t