Installing a Wetland at Home
- Kevin Kilbane
- Oct 28
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 29
Frustrated by the destruction of wetlands around Fort Wayne and elsewhere in Indiana? You can do something about it, right in your own backyard.
Build a small wetland or rain garden in your home landscaping. Your project may not have the impact of large wetlands, such as those protected by Little River Wetlands Project. But it will provide habitat for wetland plants, insects and wildlife. It also will hold rain run-off, filter it and recharge groundwater supplies.
Installing a home wetland or rain garden also can boost your well-being.
“We feel more connected to our local environment when we create habitat in our yard,” said Jay Rozelle, owner and co-laborer of Rozelle Lawn & Landscape & Riverview Native Nursery in Fort Wayne. “Watching new animals visiting your yard to find nourishment and a place to live is such a powerful feeling. The wetland/rain garden gives beauty and multi-season interest. It gives a sense of empowerment and hope in a time where the world’s problems seem so large and vast.”
Fellow local landscape designer Laura Stine echoed those sentiments.
“We are all looking for ways to help,” said Stine, design director and owner of Laura Stine Gardens in Fort Wayne. “We hear the news every day. It’s empowering to people, and it really does make them feel better when they know there are things that they can actually do for the environment to help. And then they get to look at it out their back window. It has the potential to be a very satisfying experience.”
Pick the right site
If you have areas in your yard where rainwater collects or pools, those would be good locations for a home wetland or rain garden, Rozelle and Stine said. Water often pools near downspouts discharging water from your home’s roof, Stine noted. It also could be that spot where rain run-off collects from a neighbor’s yard that’s slightly uphill from your property.
You also can use drain tiles to carry water from multiple downspouts to the site of your mini wetland or rain garden, Rozelle said.
Most soil around Fort Wayne is heavy clay, which is suitable for constructing a mini wetland or rain garden because water percolates slowly down through it, Stine said. Some land around the area’s three rivers contains sandy soil, however, she said, so soil conditions can vary with your location.
If possible, select a location that receives partial or full sun. Sunny conditions support a much greater variety of plant life than shady areas, Stine noted.
“But keep in mind, with increasing periodic drought here in Fort Wayne, the rain garden/wetland will likely be dry during times of the year,” Rozelle said. “This will affect what types of plants you should use. If you want year-round water, you’ll need to fill it periodically or install a rubber liner.”
If water pooling in your yard allows it, Stine suggested locating your wetland or rain garden in a spot you can easily see from inside the house. That way you can enjoy all of the wildlife activity.
Just remember to keep your wetland or rain garden at least 10 feet away from building foundations so you don’t cause water damage, cautions the publication “Backyard Wetland Design.” The publication, https://www.ncagr.gov/soil-water/swcccap-chapter-6-backyard-wetland-design-manual/download?attachment, was produced by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Settle on the size
Backyard wetlands don’t have to be big. Strive for a water depth averaging no more than 9 inches, and it can be as little as 3 to 6 inches deep, the North Carolina publication said. To calculate the surface area of the wetland, estimate the volume of water discharged to that area during a rain, and divide it by the ponding depth you want.
Building your wetland
Before starting any digging, make sure you locate all buried utility lines. Call 811 to have utility representatives mark buried line locations if you aren’t sure where they are.
Using a shovel, dig out soil to the depth at which you want the wetland or rain garden to hold water, Stine said. You may want to build a small berm to hold the water where you want it. Varying the depth in the water holding area also increases habitat options for plants and wildlife, the North Carolina publication said.
You have some flexibility with your design. The work Stine’s company did for Purdue Fort Wayne’s Environmental Resources Center, for example, uses slight swales and a dry creek bed to control water running from roof downspouts. Small pockets carved out in the landscape hold water longer, hopefully creating habitat for frogs, toads and salamanders.
Where rainwater pooled in a residential backyard, Stine’s company built a low, graveled area where that water can collect and percolate into the ground. Native plants and shrubs around it provide habitat for birds and wildlife.
To prevent problems with mosquitoes, add an overflow drain tile so excess water can drain away, Rozelle said. You also can add a mosquito dunk to the water, or install habitat that attracts dragonflies and other insects that prey on mosquitoes.
If you plan to install a rubber or fabric liner to increase the time that water pools in your wetland, prevent mosquito breeding by puncturing a few holes in the bottom so water slowly leaks down into the soil, Stine recommended.
Home wetlands and rain gardens don’t have to hold water continuously. Ephemeral wetlands that fill and dry down provide great habitat for many plant, insect and wildlife species.
Adding the plants
If you live in a residential neighborhood, keep that in mind as you decide what plants to install in and around your wetland or rain garden, Stine advised. The space should look nice while also being functional.
Use native plants because they have deep root systems, which filter water, Stine said. They also provide the most beneficial habitat for insects, birds and other wildlife, she said. When choosing plants, consider their height (nothing too tall), your ability to manage the species (won’t spread everywhere) and its usefulness to wildlife.
“Getting to watch the interactions (of wildlife), it’s so much fun!,” Stine said.
Her plant suggestions include prairie dropseed and rudbeckias (black-eyed Susans) on the berm and species such as native iris, bee balm, blue lobelia, cardinal flower and purple coneflower in the wetter soil.
For a greater variety of choices, go to the Indiana Native Plant Society’s website, https://indiananativeplants.org/. Under the “Landscaping” tab in the navigation bar, click on the link for “Indiana Native Plant Finder.”
Maintaining your habitat
Once you get your wetland or rain garden established, maintenance requirements will be limited, Stine and Rozelle said.
“Like any home landscape, you will need to do periodic weeding and cutting back plants in early spring,” Rozelle explained. “You may also do periodic ‘editing,’ which involves pulling fast-reproducing plants to allow others to grow.”
Stine recommends pulling weeds by hand rather than using herbicides. The surfactants that help herbicides adhere to plants can harm wildlife, she said.
What will it cost?
Cost depends on the size of the project and the amount of labor used to complete it. Stine and Rozelle both said hiring a landscaping company to install a mini wetland or rain garden could cost a few thousand dollars. You can save a lot of money if you do all of the
labor yourself.
If you decide to install a rain garden, check with Fort Wayne City Utilities’ rain garden program. The City Utilities website, https://utilities.cityoffortwayne.org/education/catching-rain/build-a-rain-garden/, said property owners can qualify for up to $250 in financial assistance for installing a rain garden. Payment is based on the rate of $2 per square foot of installed rain garden.
Smaller home wetland or rain garden projects probably can be completed in a day. If you get busy soon, you’ll have your own wetland habitat to enjoy this winter and into the future.
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