Rebate money, explained
Did you know your county may pay you to plant a rain garden?
Rebate-Ready Garden sells ready-made garden plans. Here’s the gap they fill: the rebate money is real — Prince George’s County pays $10 a square foot for rain gardens, and Montgomery County’s program pays the same. But the rules, plant lists, and paperwork stop most homeowners before they start. Each $19.50 plan turns one program’s requirements into a ready-to-plant layout: the Plant-by-Numbers map, the native plant list, and the compliance packet, as an instant download.
Inside every plan
- Plant-by-Numbers map — a scaled layout showing exactly where each plant goes. Plant straight from the page, no design skills needed.
- Native plant list — species matched to your program’s approved list, with exact counts for your garden size and bloom times so something’s flowering all season.
- Compliance packet — the program’s requirements turned into a plain checklist: depths, mulch, setbacks, and the photos and receipts they’ll ask for.
- Submission sheet — what to send the county and in what order, with your plan details filled in. You still file the official application — this makes it easy.
Find your edition
We match your ZIP to the county edition built for its rebate program. ZIP prefixes are a rough guide — confirm your county before buying.
$19.50 per plan with Plant-by-Numbers Map · $24.50 for all five Prince George’s plans · instant download
- Instant PDF download
- Checked against each program’s published rules
- Refund if your plan doesn’t match
The idea
Matched to your county’s rules
Every plan is drawn against the published requirements of one rebate program — not a generic garden plan with a rebate sticker on it.
Plant-by-Numbers Map
A to-scale layout. Circled numbers match the plant list. If you can read a paint-by-numbers kit, you can plant this.
Nursery-available natives
Every plant verified native to your region and buyable at a normal nursery. No specialty orders, no substitutes.
Rebate-Ready Guarantee
If your plan doesn’t match its program’s published rules, we fix it or refund you. Your choice.
How it works
Find your county
Enter your ZIP above. We show you the plans built for your county’s rebate program.
Download your plan
$19.50, instant PDF. The Plant-by-Numbers Map, the plant list, the compliance packet, the submission sheet.
Plant and file
Put the garden in this fall. Submit the packet with your rebate application.
Before you buy — three quick checks
1. The spot sits at least 10 feet from your foundation.
2. The soil drains: dig a small hole, fill it with water, and it empties within 36 hours.
3. The spot gets sun or part shade.
If any of these fail, the plan won’t work on your lot — save your $19.50.
The editions
Each plan below is the planting layout and paperwork packet you attach to your county’s rebate application. Buying a plan isn’t applying for the rebate — it’s the documentation the application asks for.
Which size? Rule of thumb for rain gardens: one downspout, pick the 100 sq ft plan. Two downspouts or a big roof, go 150. Meadows are sized by lawn area, not roof — measure the strip you’re converting.
Maryland
Prince George’s County
Built for the county’s Rain Check program: $10 per square foot for rain gardens, $5 for conservation landscaping. These plans are drawn to its rules.
The Bundle — all five Prince George’s plans
Five compliance packets, one download. Save $73 versus buying them separately.
Montgomery County
Built for RainScapes Rewards: $10 per square foot for rain gardens, $5–$6 for conservation landscaping. Rates confirmed with the county October 1, 2026.
In Rockville or Gaithersburg? Those cities run their own rebate programs — see the Rockville/Gaithersburg edition. Takoma Park is excluded from the county program.
District of Columbia
Washington, D.C.
Built for DC’s RiverSmart Homes program: a flat $41 per square foot for rain gardens, capped at $3,000. Chesapeake-watershed natives only. Official program page: DC RiverSmart Rain Garden Rebates (doee.dc.gov).
New York
Long Island — on hold
The Town of North Hempstead native plant rebate closed October 1, 2026, and we won’t sell a packet tied to a closed program. A Garden Rewards edition returns when the 2027 program details land.
Our Rebate-Ready Guarantee
Every plan is checked against its county program’s published requirements before it goes on sale. If your plan doesn’t match what the program asks for, we’ll fix the plan or refund you. Your choice.
One thing we can’t promise: the rebate itself. The county makes that call, and no honest seller can promise it for them.
Not sure which program fits?
We keep a free directory of 23 verified stormwater rebate programs across Maryland, DC, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and New England, with rebate rates, caps, and official sources. Most homeowners have never heard of these programs. If you know someone with a lawn, this is the page to send them.