Put Rainwater to Good Use
In times of drought, a rain garden is one way to put what rain we do receive to good use. A rain garden is a landscaped area of low-maintenance native plants designed to collect and use rainwater. They require less maintenance and fewer chemicals than lawns. Instead of allowing rainwater to flow from your home downspout to the ground, you can direct the downspout so that the rainwater runs to a low lying area at least ten feet from your house, where you should locate your rain garden on a level site. Sites on a steep slope are not suitable, as the rain will flow over the garden instead of soaking in. Start with a small area that can be expanded later. If the soil around your home has a high clay content, remove one to two feet of soil and replace it with a mixture of sand, topsoil and compost. The back edge of the rain garden should have a grass or groundcover border to slow down the runoff water as it enters the garden. Plant a mix of self-seeding perennials, grasses and shrubs, along with a three-inch layer of mulch. Contact your local nursery about the appropriate plants to use.
Viewer Tip: Watch your garden during a heavy rainfall. If water is running over the top, you may need to expand the garden. Another option is to build a trench to carry excess water from your rain garden to another low lying area where you can create a second rain garden.
This information is provided by the Georgia Wildlife Federation. For more information, visit www.gwf.org.
Seasons: Spring, Summer
(Sources: Windstar Wildlife Institute Website, www.windstar.org/knowledge_center.cfm; Clean Water Atlanta website: www.cleanwateratlanta.org/environmentaleducation.)
