Rain Garden Subsidy Program
Did you know an average residential rain garden in Peterborough can divert about 1.5 cubic metres of water from storm sewers each year? That’s roughly 9.5 bathtubs of water! By redirecting runoff toward a rain garden, you can keep the watershed healthy, lower the risk of urban flooding, increase your home’s curb appeal, and create habitat for native plants and wildlife. The more residents who participate, the bigger the impact.
Through the Rain Garden Subsidy Program, the City of Peterborough offers eligible homeowners up to $1000 to offset the cost of designing and installing a rain garden in their front or back yard.
We’ve partnered with the municipality to offer applicants extra support through the application process, including on-site consultation visits and design support.
Don’t live within the City of Peterborough? You can still take advantage of the educational resources offered below.
Videos
Watch our four part video series to learn more about the subsidy program and how to build and maintain your own garden. Note that watching these videos is required in order to receive your subsidy.
Click the Playlist button in the top-right hand corner of the video to access parts two through four – note that watching all four videos is essential in order to receive the subsidy.
Rain Garden Templates
GreenUP has designed two rain gardens for use by anyone who wishes to install a rain garden in the Peterborough region. These templates suit a range of roof sizes and site conditions. We’ve used mostly native plants to maximize secondary benefits like pollinator habitat and biodiversity.
With just a few additional details, these templates can be submitted as part of a landowner’s application to the City of Peterborough Rain Garden Subsidy Program.
Use the table to determine which template makes the most sense for you. If neither template suits the size and shape of your property, use the suggested plant lists as a jumping off point to design your own garden.
| The Classic Rain Garden | The Habitat Garden | |
| Roof Size (catchment area) | 25m2 to 75m2 | 40m2 to 130m2 |
| Garden Bottom Area (m2) | 6m2 | 12m2 |
| Total Required Space (L x W) | 4.5m x 3m | 6.6m x 4m |
| Soil type | Sandy to Clay Loam | Sandy to Clay Loam |
| Sun/shade profile | Full Sun to Mostly Shade (plant substitutions are available for different light profiles) | Full Sun to Part-Shade |
| Style | Informal, flower-dominant, colourful | Slightly formal, shrub-dominant, lots of autumn and winter interest |
| Maintenance requirements once established | One to two hours per month during the growing season, slightly more in the spring | Less than an hour per month during the growing season, slightly more in spring |
| Secondary benefits | Pollinator friendly, biodiversity, some carbon sequestration potential, curb appeal | Bird and pollinator friendly, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, curb appeal, privacy |
Program Contact Information
Name: Hayley Goodchild
Position: Landscape Program Manager
Phone: 705-745-3238 ext. 213
Email: hayley.goodchild@greenup.on.ca
Partners
City of Peterborough
The City of Peterborough supports GreenUP through an annual Community Service Grant. This funding supports many of our programs and services which positively impact Peterborough residents each day.