Rieger Homes Uses the Latest Storm Water Techniques!

A Rain Garden at Rieger Homes’ Fox Hill Community

At our newest community, Fox Hill at Sugar Loaf, Rieger Homes is installing individual rain gardens to help to purify storm water.  Yes, a rain garden. Not a vegetable garden or a flower garden, but a rain garden. What is a rain garden?  By definition, a rain garden is a garden which takes advantage of rainfall and stormwater runoff in its design and plant selection. According to the Low Impact Development Center, a rain garden is a small garden which is designed to withstand the extremes of moisture and concentrations of nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, which may be found in storm water runoff.

For generations, homeowners and landscapers have used certain trees & plants to balance moisture content of an area.  For example, planting a weeping willow tree in a low area will help absorb excess ground water.  Rain gardens takes that type of common sense one step further.  They are designed to allow water to filter through the plant roots and soil to remove impurities and improve the water quality in surface water and nearby bodies of water.  Rain gardens are most successful when designed for specific soils and climates using native grasses and plants.  The water filters through the garden in several hours, not remaining wet long enough to become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.  And by the way, they can be beautiful to look at and improve the enjoyment of your yard!

Simple or elaborate, residential or commercial, a rain garden is an attractive and natural way to help our environment and our future.  If you are interested in creating your own rain garden, there are a multitude of resources on the internet, such as the New York State Department of Conservation, Low Impact Development Center, and the Rain Garden Network.

Rieger Homes is your Orange County new home builder and Dutchess County new home builder of choice.  We have been a leading home builder in the Mid-Hudson Valley for over 50 years.  A family owned company under its second generation of leadership, we are committed to building a successful relationship between our family of professionals and your family.  Rieger Homes has developed its Energy Efficient, High Performance Home Program that utilizes energy efficient products and building practices in our homes, to make them as cost effective to maintain as possible.  Our goal is to assist you and your family in building a new home of your dreams.  We are proud of our superb reputation throughout New York’s beautiful Hudson Valley and would love to be your builder!  Please check out our beautiful neighborhoods and exciting homes and floor plans and contact us to plan your new home.  Happy home shopping!