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By FRANK SHANLY
Over the first half of 2008, seeds of a different variety have been sown at Janet’ Garden Center, in the form of ideas for the development of more environmentally friendly gardens in Wells County.
Horticulturist Carrie Pence visited Australia on a Rotary Exchange trip in late 2007, and was impressed by the attention Australians paid to their environment, and in particular their use of water as a natural resource. She returned to Bluffton eager to implement some of the ideas she had seen on her trip, and has already has begun to introduce the concept of rain gardens to Wells County residents.
Rain gardens not only provide for better usage of water, but also incorporate native plants, and therefore this seemed to be a suitable first step for Pence to take. Janet’s Garden Center has held classes on the subject, and Pence also gave a presentation on the topic at the Wells County Public Library in May.
On that occasion, Pence noted that the concept of rain gardens has already begun to find favor in several areas of the United States. Michigan (and especially the city of Grand Rapids), Wisconsin and Maryland have already got a little bit of a jump on Indiana in this regard, although the City of Fort Wayne appears to be trying to bridge the gap, with a program to give 1,000 residents $100 each to establish a rain garden on their property.
Pence also notes that repetitive flooding of the Wabash River in Bluffton over recent years also points to a need to handle water management more efficiently.
A rain garden will help retain water for a little longer, filtering out the sediment and other ingredients that we don’t necessarily want in our river.
“Instead of running it away from your house (after running off your roof and down your gutter),” explains Pence, “a rain garden is a small garden you dig out and then plant with special plants, and it keeps that water and filters it down into the ground water.
“Rain gardens are an inexpensive way of dealing with stormwater management. Because it’s something that individuals can do at their own home, it’s less expensive than building a huge retention pond.”
A rain garden will include plants with deep root systems, possibly going down as much as 10-15 feet into the ground. The plants will soak the water in and absorb much of the extra ingredients carried by the stormwater, filtering them out and preventing them from being passed on into the river.
Pence advised that ideally a rain garden should be about 30 per cent of your roof size, and given that this area also has a lot of clay, it may be necessary to add sand and compost.
While a rain garden will help retain water, it will not turn a yard into a swamp. Typically, a rain garden should dry out within 24-48 hours.
A rain garden therefore is most appropriate in a spot that is only soggy when it rains. For areas that are continuously wet, a decorative pond might be more suitable.
Pence also cautioned that a rain garden should not be placed within 10 feet of the foundations of your house, or next to a basement or retaining wall.
“You don’t want a wall up against ground that has a lot of water in it as it will make it more unstable.” warns Pence.
In choosing plants for a rain garden here in Wells County, Pence points out that the ability to tolerate both wet and dry conditions needs to be taken into account.
She also stresses the need for early care of the plants.
While they may indeed be able to survive well with minimum attention once they have become established, it may take 1-2 years for this to happen. It is essential to take proper care of the plants during this initial period.
Pence recommends grasses such as prairie dropseed, switch grass, little blue stem and fox sedge, and cultivars such as rudbeckia, liatris, coreopsis and echinacea.
Pence points out that by using a mix of native plants and other cultivars, you can get a very attractive, and also environmentally friendly, garden. Cultivars are plants that were traditionally native to Indiana, but have been bred to have bigger blooms, or more interesting foliage, or perhaps not grow so tall as to fall over.
And the garden will also attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
Another stormwater management system that Janet’s Garden Center is providing is the rain barrel.
This is effectively a large drum that can collect the water, with a small hose attached that can take the water out and gradually soak your flower beds, rather than just letting the water run directly into your yard.
Further information relating to rain gardens, and other topics of gardening interest, will be posted on the Janet’s Garden Center website, at www.janetsgardencenter.com
frank@news-banner.com