Rain and Gravel Gardens

Olbrich's beautiful and environmentally friendly Rain Gardens are landscape features used to control water run-off. During a storm, rainwater collects in the gardens where it is gradually absorbed into the soil to help recharge our ground water. Rain gardens minimize the volume and improve the quality of water entering conventional storm drains and nearby streams like Starkweather Creek.

The Rain Garden next to the Tower Garden features a raised serpentine boardwalk that allows guests to walk through the flood-tolerant and pollinator-friendly plants.

These sustainable flower gardens require little to no watering and about 80% less maintenance than a typical perennial garden. The drought-tolerant plants are grown in 5 inches of quartzite gravel spread over the soil.