Claire attended a Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust talk today on how to build a rain garden.
The session, led by Tabitha George, Waterscapes Project Co-ordinator, was part of Waterscapes Week 2026 and focused on practical, domestic-scale rain gardens.
Rain gardens are designed to slow down and absorb rainwater, helping to reduce flooding while also creating space for wildlife. They can be created in private gardens, but could also have huge potential in schools, community spaces and public places across Cheltenham.
Claire has long been interested in rain gardens and had already explored lots of online diagrams and leaflets, but found that this talk went much further.
“It gave us lots of detail about how to build a planter-style domestic-scale rain garden,” she said
The talk began by looking at the different ways we can slow the flow of rainwater and help reduce flood risk. These included water butts, green roofs, permeable paving, de-paving, swales – and, of course, rain gardens.
Attendees were shown a calculator to help work out the correct size for a rain garden and its different layers. They also discussed where rain gardens can be placed, including in surprisingly small spaces such as next to a garden shed.
One of the most encouraging things about the session was that it showed how flexible and achievable rain gardens can be. Claire learned that they can be created in a wide range of containers, from ready-made planters bought at garden centres to small pre-formed pond containers.
The workshop then went into the practical detail of how to build one. This included:
- the pipe at the bottom of the planter to take water out
- how many holes to drill in the pipe, and how large they should be
- the layers of LECA, hessian, sand and soil needed
- how to safely divert a drainpipe into the planter
Finally, the session looked at planting. Native wetland plants are best placed where the water enters the rain garden, while more drought-tolerant plants can be used further away. The planting can also be pollinator friendly.
Claire was especially pleased that the idea that rain gardens can support wildlife as well as manage water was emphasised.
“We could make the rain garden even more wildlife friendly with a bird bath or even decorative bird feeders,” she said.
For Cheltenham, this feels like an idea with real potential. They could help people make their gardens more wildlife-friendly while also managing heavy rain. There may also be opportunities to use these ideas beyond private gardens – in schools, community growing spaces, churchyards and public planting schemes.
A big thank you to Tabitha George and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust for such a clear and inspiring session. We’re looking forward to seeing where these ideas might lead next.
Find out more about rain gardens on the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust website.
