Hiller Rain Garden

See Native Wildflowers

A Wetland Community

The Rain Garden is on the north side of the outdoor gardens near the Founders Garden. Made possible by a generous donation from Jayne and Geoege Hiller, it’s a landscape full of native wildflowers. The result is a naturalistic plant combination. This garden is representstative of Iowa wetland communities, including fens and sedge meadows.

Groundwater & Grasses

Fens are rare ecologies shaped by glaciation and contain running groundwater. Sedge meadows can be thought of as dry marshes and are dominated by grass-like plants called sedges.

Capturing Stormwater

The shallow depression of this Rain Garden will capture, clean, and absorb stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces. Finally, Rain gardens create landscapes that add beauty, wildlife habitat, and interest while helping manage stormwater more sustainably.

Soak It Up

If you have an area in your yard that is already prone to ponding, consider embracing its natural state and transforming it into a rain garden. According to the EPA, “a rain garden collects rainwater from a roof, driveway, or street and allows it to soak into the ground. Planted with grasses and flowering perennials, rain gardens can be a cost-effective and beautiful way to reduce runoff from your property. Rain gardens also help filter out pollutants in runoff and provide food and shelter for butterflies, songbirds, and other wildlife.”

The Rain Campaign

Become part of The Rain Campaign, launched in 2019 as a localized effort across the Des Moines metro to inspire residents, businesses, and municipalities to be part of the solution towards managing stormwater runoff in a better way. Through the utilization of community-wide incentive programs, we can take action to improve the water quality of our local creeks, rivers, ponds, and lakes. Find out more at The Rain Campaign.