City of Peterborough, GreenUp offering cash back to residents who plant rain gardens

The City of Peterborough and GreenUp have partnered to offer up cash to city residents who plant a rain garden on their property.

GreenUp water programs co-ordinator Jenn McCallum says design and plant type are the key differences between a rain garden and a regular garden.

“It is designed to take in rainwater, usually off of a rooftop or road,” said McCallum. “For that reason, it is bowl-shaped so it can hold the rain for 24 to 48 hours, and it has an inlet to take the water in and an outlet in case it overflows to let the water safely out.”

She says that when it comes to what types of flowers and greenery to plant, gardeners want to go with native plant species with deep root systems.

“You want those deep-running roots so they can draw the water up from the rain garden,” said McCallum. “Usually, rain gardens have three zones, so the bottom of the bowl, the middle and the upper zone. You want the more water-loving plants in the bottom, and in the upper zone, you want more drought-tolerant species.”

A number of areas in the City of Peterborough have already been transformed into these types of gardens.

GreenUp’s Downtown Vibrancy Project co-ordinator, Dawn Pond, says it is an important community initiative that not only adds more green space but can help prevent flooding.

“There’s a lot of underused paved spaces in our cities that maybe at one point were useful but have since become redundant or unloved,” Pond said. “Partnerships with the community are really important because it becomes everyone’s garden, and you can make a bigger impact together.”

As far as that impact on your own home goes, McCallum says rain gardens can make a big difference.

“We know that here in Peterborough, we had a lot of rain in 2002 and 2004, so rain gardens can actually protect against that kind of flooding,” Pond said.

Residents can apply for the subsidy program here. Residents could receive up to $500 towards the project, depending on the size and property.

McCallum says people need to be pre-approved for the program and attend a virtual workshop on June 17 to receive the subsidy.