Add a Rain Garden to Your Yard

LEFT: Blue and red lobelia, great rain garden plants ABOVE: Entry intake where water is diverted into rain garden BELOW: Orange cone flower is great to plant in wet areas for absorbing water

Rainscaping Reduces Erosion and Makes Possible a Beautiful Rain Garden

BY STEVE CALLOWAY

ainscaping is good

Rwater management now coming more into practice by ecologyminded homeowners. It is the term for managing storm water runoff from heavy rains. Rather than rainwater streaming through and around property, water can be intercepted using rainscaping methods. As water pours out of downspouts, off roads and onto properties, it causes erosion, pooling of water that prevents grass from growing properly, and can build up against structure foundations, causing wear, weakening foundation walls and leaky basements. Instead, rainscaping attacks nuisance water flow at its source, directing ground water in strategically placed swales or channels to be diverted away from foundations into a garden area or a rain garden. Rain barrels connected to downspouts are used to collect water that can be used to irrigate a garden area. A rain garden is specially constructed where ground water is coursing during heavy rainfalls, designed to alleviate water flow from continuing. The project begins with removing non-permeable soil and replacing it with an absorbency soil, a permeable medium of porosity that allows water to sink into rather than coarse over it. Absorbency soil is a mixture of specific composts, mulches, and porous material such as sand or gravel. A rain garden of absorbency soil is ideal for plants that naturally have good root systems and high water intake. Rain gardens offer the option of using what had been nuisance water to instead create gardens of beautiful perennial flowers, such as turtlehead, cardinal flower, queen of prairie, and royal fern. Another rainscaping strategy for reducing water runoff in areas of your yard is removing invasive plants such as honeysuckle and euonymus, which have low water absorbency, and replacing them with native plant species, perennials, shrubs and trees to increase absorbency Rainscaping also helps communities by reducing rainwater intake into sewers, reducing stormwater backup, basement backup, and sewer overflow. It also helps reduce flooding by lessening water flowing into creeks and rivers. Organizations such as MSD vigorously promote rainscaping. By alleviating water pooling areas, rainscaping also reduces mosquito population on properties. Replacing invasive plants with native species attracts predatory insects such as praying mantis and ladybug that feed on nuisance insects such as mosquitoes, whiteflies and scales.

STEVE CALLOWAY is owner of Garden Green Horticulture Service. They revitalize and restore gardens and convert areas of ordinary lawn or problem growth with beautiful native plantings that will make landscapes better year after year. Pictured on this page are a number of rain gardens constructed by Garden Green. Steve also helps homeowners select the plants, trees and shrubbery that best meet their aesthetic desires and that will thrive in the sunlight, soil and moisture conditions in their yards. You can call or email Steve for a complimentary consultation in your yard, to identify your plants and advise on how to keep them healthy and looking their best. You can reach Steve at 314-288-5036 or garden_green@live.com.