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Plant a Rain GardenTerry L. Yockey |
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A few years ago a friend and I went to an all-day gardening seminar in Prior Lake given by the Carver/Scott County Master Gardeners. One of the speakers was Peter Olin, the director of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, and his topic was rain gardens. I hadn’t a clue what a rain garden was before he spoke, so imagine my surprise when I found out that I had unintentionally created my own rain garden.
When I first started planning my landscape, I decided that I was going to make every effort to keep all water resources from leaving my grounds. As a gardener, it just seemed foolish to waste water when I have so much area to keep irrigated. Why let the occasional rain deluge escape into the ditch out front when I will almost certainly end up watering my yard again in only a week or two? I was also concerned about the problems with algae in our lakes caused by excessive fertilizer run-off, grass clippings and leaves. I knew that soil and plants were nature’s filtering system so I thought, “Why not make a garden that will replenish the groundwater and also filter out chemicals and other pollutants?” To that end, when our yard was graded I had the contractor make a slight swale that collects and then directs all the water coming off the hill through the backyard and into a holding area below. I also attached black drainage pipe to the down spouts in the back and then buried it under the lawn. The drainage pipe empties directly into what I now know is my rain garden. So what exactly is a rain garden? A rain garden is a strategically located low area where storm water is captured and then soaks naturally into the soil. You can either make a depression to hold the water or build a berm around the perimeter of your rain garden. My rain garden is fairly large, but a rain garden can be as simple as small plantings where your water drains from the spouts. It’s a good idea to keep your rain garden at least 10 feet from your building foundation or a septic field so that you don’t end up with water in the basement or an oversaturated septic system. A good soil blend would be 20-30 percent organic matter, such as compost; 50-60 percent sandy soil; and 20-30 percent topsoil. Native prairie plants work very well for rain gardens because they are pretty open to whatever nature throws at them and rain gardens seem to run the gamut. The majority of the time your garden will be hot and dry and then along comes a rainy day and your plants end up standing in six inches of water. Not a whole lot of plants tolerate those kinds of drastic changes in environment, but most native plants seem to thrive on the challenge. Native prairie plants also attract a wide range of wildlife. Butterflies and hummingbirds appreciate the abundant nectar and the seedheads are a good food source for goldfinches and other small birds. There really isn’t a downside to turning a part of your yard into a rain garden that helps your personal environment as well as attracting beautiful wildlife visitors. Here are a few of my favorite rain garden plants:
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