Published Aug. 12, 2026

The Dearborn City Beautiful Commission intends to recognize rain gardens installed at homes, places of worship, schools or businesses to promote their ability to reduce the impacts of flooding and add green infrastructure to the community.

Owners of rain gardens can nominate them for potential recognition by Sept. 3 at Dearborn.gov/CityBeautiful. 

Details of the construction and a list of plants used within the rain gardens are requested. Three photos are also required with the nomination and can be emailed to citybeautiful@dearborn.gov  

Owners of rain gardens that are verified by the commission will receive a lawn sign in recognition. They will also be invited to a celebratory dinner with Mayor Abdullah Hammoud in early 2027, along with other honorees from 2026 City Beautiful Commission programs.

Rain gardens are planted, shallow depressions designed to catch, filter, and soak up stormwater runoff from hard surfaces, like roofs and driveways.

They are designed with native flowers and grasses with long roots that survive both wet and dry times. The native plants attract butterflies, bees, and birds, and are designed to empty completely within 12 to 48 hours, so mosquitoes cannot breed.

The city is partnering with Friends of the Rouge to train and encourage residents to create rain gardens at their homes, and hopes to build more rain gardens on public land.

FOTR recently honored Mayor Hammoud for his commitment to rain gardens to reduce flooding impacts and to help clean stormwater before it reaches the Rouge River.

“Through our partnerships, we are working together to protect the Rouge, and build a sustainable, resilient future for our community,” Mayor Hammoud said when accepting the FOTR award.

Recognizing rain gardens is part of the City Beautiful Commission’s initiative to boost sustainable landscaping. In the past few years, the commission recognized native plant gardens. In 2026, the recognition is focused on rain gardens.

The commission also honors traditional gardens and landscaping through its decades-old Residential Standard of Excellence program. That program is completed for 2026.
 

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