One of the projects that I have to address this upcoming year is the issue with rain settling on a spot of my property that does not get good drainage. I have been giving a lot of thought on how to address this issue and I literally hit a wall with no ideas until I came across a Manual for Rain Gardens on the net.
The idea is to plant a flower bed in these areas that tolerate alot of water and design it in a way that looks natural with the environment. The benefit of doing this is that the plant beds provide adequate drainage for areas in your yard that receive the water run off. I think its a great start to offset a big problem. The only issue I will have is plant bed design, materials to be used and plant species that specifically thrive off of alot of water. It will be challenge but I think I will be killing 2 birds by taking care of the drainage issue and using natural material to benefit from it.
5 comments:
So you want to put in a rain garden? Cool! Check out the new video at - http://whatcombeachwatchers.blogspot.com/2009/09/beach-watchers-hours-chris-brown-from.html - that our WSU rain garden group will soon be waltzing around the county to promote the benefits of rain gardens. Good luck with your project.
Really Rose- Thanks for the link. It is very informative. I watched the whole thing and learned alot about what I need to do. Planning is the biggest part with regards to layout. I really like this idea because using plants to solve a problem is awesome. I will post my accomplishments with this project it will take same time. Thanks for the link Rose it is really helpful
i vote for a willow tree, they suck water up like no one else - am off to see this link too - peace for all
Here is the link to the manual that we hand out when someone is ready to get serious about putting in a rain garden -
http://www.pierce.wsu.edu/Water_Quality/LID/Raingarden_handbook.pdf
Though specific to the Pacific Northwest as far as plant suggestions, and similar in method to the manual you found online, perhaps it too will be helpful in your planning as well.
I shall look forward to reading about the progress of your rain garden. Good luck.
Ruralrose- I love willow trees. They get really huge, but I know they have the dwarf variety.
Really Rose- Thanks again for all the information. This is going to be alot of work, But it is worth it in the end. Im glad you shared this info because it will help many. Thanks again.
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