The end of April and beginning of May are my favorite time in the rain garden. All the groundcovers have popped back up and covered the bare spots. The grasses are tall, beautiful and sway with the slightest breeze.
And then there is the color. Dainty orchid-like Siberian Iris is in full bloom and the shade of Ceasar's Brother can only be described as deep royal purple. Close by, the wild indigo (Baptisia) blooms in a pure blue and below it, the spiderwort is covered in deep lavender star-shaped blooms jutting from short stems at the base of each leaf. This grouping has great color and texture and fills about 1/5 of the entire perennial space. And the backdrop for the sprinkling of lavenders, purples and blues is an old unidentified azalea with hose-in-hose blooms of a deep rich pink. It's really a wow moment.
I've managed to keep pulled the few weeds that popped up through the spring. The next chore will be to cut the stems of the wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) when they've dried and find a friend to give them to for their gardens.
The 'Sum & Substance' hosta I moved to the garden last fall likes its new spot by the overflow pipe from the rainbarrels. The ribbed leaves have grown to 12 inches across this year and new shoots have emerged. Next year this hosta will be a real eye catcher because of its size and chartreuse color. A Tassel fern is now hidden underneath it's canopy and will have to be moved this fall.
Surprisingly, the above scenario has played out with below normal rainfall over a 4 week period. This speaks to choosing plants with the versatility of taking it wet or tolerating it dry. Plant selection is key to a beautiful rain garden.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
More plants survived the winter
It's been exciting to check the rain garden each week to see if any new shoots have emerged. My big concern over the Hibiscus coccineus is now laid to rest. Both clumps have new green shoots emerging around the old stems from last year.
I planted some Maidens grass by the overflow pipe from the rain barrels, just to see if it would survive in soggy soil as an experiment and it too has new green shoots coming up.
The wild columbine went from little bunches of leaves 6 inches high to full bloom with those lovely red bell-shaped blooms dangling from 24 inch stems in just a week. The fact that we had temps in the high 80's had a lot to do with that. The progression from leaves to full bloom usually takes 3 or 4 weeks but this has been an unusual spring with temperatures that matched the record books recorded highs.
The spiderwort is also beginning to bloom with those vivid purple star-shaped flowers atop the stems and the blue indigo that refused to poke its head up has now reached a height of 18 inches in just this last 2 weeks.
We have a new challenge it seems for the rain garden. We have had less that 1/8 inch of rain in the last 2 weeks and none is predicted for at least another week. So many things are popping up and really need that moisture to continue to grow and form healthy plants. I guess we'll now be testing the drought hardiness of some of the more delicate plants.
I'll be posting pictures of the rain garden soon, so check back to see what kind of color and texture is happening now.
I planted some Maidens grass by the overflow pipe from the rain barrels, just to see if it would survive in soggy soil as an experiment and it too has new green shoots coming up.
The wild columbine went from little bunches of leaves 6 inches high to full bloom with those lovely red bell-shaped blooms dangling from 24 inch stems in just a week. The fact that we had temps in the high 80's had a lot to do with that. The progression from leaves to full bloom usually takes 3 or 4 weeks but this has been an unusual spring with temperatures that matched the record books recorded highs.
The spiderwort is also beginning to bloom with those vivid purple star-shaped flowers atop the stems and the blue indigo that refused to poke its head up has now reached a height of 18 inches in just this last 2 weeks.
We have a new challenge it seems for the rain garden. We have had less that 1/8 inch of rain in the last 2 weeks and none is predicted for at least another week. So many things are popping up and really need that moisture to continue to grow and form healthy plants. I guess we'll now be testing the drought hardiness of some of the more delicate plants.
I'll be posting pictures of the rain garden soon, so check back to see what kind of color and texture is happening now.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Cold Winters & Plant Hardiness
The Herald Sun's recent article about the winter of 2009/2010 confirmed my suspicions. This was one of the coldest winters on record, in fact the 6th coldest winter in the Durham area since records were kept back in the 40's. In addition to the cold we received around 7 inches of snow when our average is slightly over 2 inches. This winter there were days on end when the rain garden was nothing but a water filled bog. This is a large deviation from the years since it's planting when we have had below normal rainfall and water passed through and filtered down in less than 3 hours. All the plants did extremely well under the drier conditions.
My inspection yesterday showed that the grasses are sending up new shoots, as are the Aquilegia, Sedum and Siberian Iris. A few more warm days and I'll check again.
My inspection yesterday showed that the grasses are sending up new shoots, as are the Aquilegia, Sedum and Siberian Iris. A few more warm days and I'll check again.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Brave Little Shoots
It's hard to believe but as I inspected the rain garden today, there poking through the dried brown foliage were tiny green leaves on the sedums, the iris and the spiderwort.
This winter is a real test for our rain garden. As I have indicated in my book, The Rain Garden Handbook, certain plants will tolerate 'wet feet'. How wet for how long is the important question. So as we finally move into the spring season, I'll begin to list those plants that have made it through the wettest winter I can ever remember in the Carolinas. I think there will be some surprises as plants I have listed as preferring drier soil conditions seem to have survived the constant state of muck we've just had.
But first, the weatherman cautiously predicts another winter weather event for our area for Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. How many pictures can one take of a snow covered rain garden? I hope that I am done for this year.
This winter is a real test for our rain garden. As I have indicated in my book, The Rain Garden Handbook, certain plants will tolerate 'wet feet'. How wet for how long is the important question. So as we finally move into the spring season, I'll begin to list those plants that have made it through the wettest winter I can ever remember in the Carolinas. I think there will be some surprises as plants I have listed as preferring drier soil conditions seem to have survived the constant state of muck we've just had.
But first, the weatherman cautiously predicts another winter weather event for our area for Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. How many pictures can one take of a snow covered rain garden? I hope that I am done for this year.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
A Long Soggy Winter
There has been very little opportunity to garden these past few months. In fact, we've been so consistently wet that the ponds still haven't been completely cleaned out from the falling leaves. Even if walking on wet ground wasn't a big no no, I would still refuse to garden with umbrella in hand. Call me a fair weather gardener.
The moisture deficit in our area is a thing of the past. I was curious to see what would happen when the ground became saturated and our berms held all moisture that fell to our property. The answer is that we have a couple leaks in the basement. One two day period in November produced 4 1/2" of rain. This is when I discovered not only the existing leak that has always been there by the chimney but also a new leak coming in from where we added the basement door. I think this one may be related to the fact that the water has no where to go except downhill and that means down our basement steps and into the well under the bottom step that houses a sump pump. Perhaps this spring we'll add some overflow channels that can be opened should we ever need to actually let rainwater leave the property.
The gentle little Ellerbe Creek across the street is now a raging river. The stream restoration work done by the EEP last spring has held up well through the heavy downpours. I wonder though, how many events like this one it will take before the fast moving water begins cutting deeper channels. I was thinking that if we could get just 10% of all our neighbors to put in those raingardens, the creek wouldn't be forced to carry so much run-off.
The moisture deficit in our area is a thing of the past. I was curious to see what would happen when the ground became saturated and our berms held all moisture that fell to our property. The answer is that we have a couple leaks in the basement. One two day period in November produced 4 1/2" of rain. This is when I discovered not only the existing leak that has always been there by the chimney but also a new leak coming in from where we added the basement door. I think this one may be related to the fact that the water has no where to go except downhill and that means down our basement steps and into the well under the bottom step that houses a sump pump. Perhaps this spring we'll add some overflow channels that can be opened should we ever need to actually let rainwater leave the property.
The gentle little Ellerbe Creek across the street is now a raging river. The stream restoration work done by the EEP last spring has held up well through the heavy downpours. I wonder though, how many events like this one it will take before the fast moving water begins cutting deeper channels. I was thinking that if we could get just 10% of all our neighbors to put in those raingardens, the creek wouldn't be forced to carry so much run-off.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
At the expense of what?
I find myself in an odd situation.
As I have championed rain gardens as a tool to help save our waterways from the destructive forces of large volumes of storm water run-off and the pollution that accompanies it, I am hesitant to support the proposed buffer zone to protect a portion of Ellerbe Creek that runs through our urban park.
Going back to comments in an earlier post, there are problems in our watersheds with the run-off from so much development (read that as impervious surfaces that don't absorb rain water).
In our area, the capital of North Carolina, that being Raleigh, wants the pollution flowing into Falls Lake, their source of water for the citizenry, to stop. So they look upstream and find that the Ellerbe Creek watershed needs some changes because the creeks water has the worst quality of any creek in the state. Think of this as pollution running downhill and problems running uphill.
A massive stream renovation project was done through Northgate Park, a city owned urban park. This gives the city/county of Durham credits for having created BMP's (that's Best Management Practices for those not in the know) to help offset the problems they are having in Falls Lake.
The park itself comprises a parcel of about 18 acres. One side is a heavily sloped wooded bank filled with invasives (read poison ivy here) that is unusable for recreation. This piece constitutes at least 25% of the park proper. The new creek banks and buffer area (no mow zone) that is proposed takes up another 5.2 acres so there goes another usable part of the park amounting to about 28%. Picnic areas, safe clear spaces beside the children's play area and an informal soccer field have been swallowed up by the buffer. The neighborhood association is already hearing from parents of small children about future safety concerns.
I could live with this except for the fact that the neighborhood of Northgate Park's Adopt-A-Park group has been diligently tending to the park and creating sight lines extending through and across the park for personal safety for the last 6 years. Guidelines for the clean-ups come from CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) principles.
We, as a neighborhood, have been fighting crime for years because of the proximity of a small commercial district and property management companies that aren't really managing to keep units maintained so that they attract law abiding individuals who would love to live near the school where they work or the business that they own. Instead we battle streetwalkers, drugdealers and party houses with front yards filled with beer drinking 24/7. Right now no one can hide in the park anymore because they would be so visible. That is about to change.
This new no mow zone will be filled with new trees (1400) and shrubs (2338. The shrubsvary in height from 7 feet up to as much as 30 feet. Granted the survival rate will lower this count but still, there go our clear sight lines for safety and crime prevention.
A little research of articles on the watershed and restoration plans for the creek on my part brought me to the conclusion that stream restorations aren't taking into consideration whether they occur on a golf course, in a country setting or running through densely populated urban neighborhoods.
And of course I find a way to bring this all back to rain gardens. If developments were putting rain gardens into yards, the rain water wouldn't be leaving most properties but instead would be soaking down through the soil and entering the water table in a benign manner.
With the cost of stream renovations sometimes totalling in the millions, doesn't it make more sense to offer grants for rain gardens and really do a serious promotion so that both established homes and builders/developers would be eager to utilize this tool to reduce their storm water run-off.
You'd think so wouldn't you.
As I have championed rain gardens as a tool to help save our waterways from the destructive forces of large volumes of storm water run-off and the pollution that accompanies it, I am hesitant to support the proposed buffer zone to protect a portion of Ellerbe Creek that runs through our urban park.
Going back to comments in an earlier post, there are problems in our watersheds with the run-off from so much development (read that as impervious surfaces that don't absorb rain water).
In our area, the capital of North Carolina, that being Raleigh, wants the pollution flowing into Falls Lake, their source of water for the citizenry, to stop. So they look upstream and find that the Ellerbe Creek watershed needs some changes because the creeks water has the worst quality of any creek in the state. Think of this as pollution running downhill and problems running uphill.
A massive stream renovation project was done through Northgate Park, a city owned urban park. This gives the city/county of Durham credits for having created BMP's (that's Best Management Practices for those not in the know) to help offset the problems they are having in Falls Lake.
The park itself comprises a parcel of about 18 acres. One side is a heavily sloped wooded bank filled with invasives (read poison ivy here) that is unusable for recreation. This piece constitutes at least 25% of the park proper. The new creek banks and buffer area (no mow zone) that is proposed takes up another 5.2 acres so there goes another usable part of the park amounting to about 28%. Picnic areas, safe clear spaces beside the children's play area and an informal soccer field have been swallowed up by the buffer. The neighborhood association is already hearing from parents of small children about future safety concerns.
I could live with this except for the fact that the neighborhood of Northgate Park's Adopt-A-Park group has been diligently tending to the park and creating sight lines extending through and across the park for personal safety for the last 6 years. Guidelines for the clean-ups come from CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) principles.
We, as a neighborhood, have been fighting crime for years because of the proximity of a small commercial district and property management companies that aren't really managing to keep units maintained so that they attract law abiding individuals who would love to live near the school where they work or the business that they own. Instead we battle streetwalkers, drugdealers and party houses with front yards filled with beer drinking 24/7. Right now no one can hide in the park anymore because they would be so visible. That is about to change.
This new no mow zone will be filled with new trees (1400) and shrubs (2338. The shrubsvary in height from 7 feet up to as much as 30 feet. Granted the survival rate will lower this count but still, there go our clear sight lines for safety and crime prevention.
A little research of articles on the watershed and restoration plans for the creek on my part brought me to the conclusion that stream restorations aren't taking into consideration whether they occur on a golf course, in a country setting or running through densely populated urban neighborhoods.
And of course I find a way to bring this all back to rain gardens. If developments were putting rain gardens into yards, the rain water wouldn't be leaving most properties but instead would be soaking down through the soil and entering the water table in a benign manner.
With the cost of stream renovations sometimes totalling in the millions, doesn't it make more sense to offer grants for rain gardens and really do a serious promotion so that both established homes and builders/developers would be eager to utilize this tool to reduce their storm water run-off.
You'd think so wouldn't you.
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