Planting a rain garden

A rain garden is a good way to divert rainfall and storm runoff to another place more desirable. There are two types of rain gardens – under-drained and self- containing. Which type depends on the volume of water that needs to be diverted, what your existing soil is like and how much you can afford. To be effective, a self-contained rain garden should be able to divert one inch of water within a four hour window. A under-drained rain garden should be able to divert heavy storm water within a two hour window. In both rain garden systems the ground needs to be excavated to a depth of, ideally 2' – 3' in depth, but a minimum of 8” and planting materials are best started when they are small so they can adapt to the growing conditions over time, as some times the area will be wetter then the norm. 

A rain garden is a very attractive way to hide a draining system that can last for years and with the right planting materials it will attract birds and butterflies. It can be used to show off native plants of the region or be planted every year with annuals for a cottage garden look. For a complete look at what a rain garden is, how to design one and all the do's and don'ts, check out this link from Low Impact Development.org.

How to Install a Rain Garden
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Key Ideas for Installing a Rain Garden
backyardfarmer

Put your garden in a container

Embellishment for the garden  Pixabay/Public Domain/ CC0

#Container gardening has increased in popularity over the last few years. Planting in containers is not just for people who lack space, but can be a unique embellishment for any gardeners garden. The best thing about container gardening is you can put it wherever you like, and since your garden is portable, you can move plants in an out of the sun and rain as needed, move them around for different effects and move them inside for the winter. Your container garden can be as whimsical or as proper as you see fit.

Containers can add instant color, architectural interest, or can be used as a focal point to any area. One of the fun parts of planting in containers is that you get to choose the container, which can be anything from a plain pot to a washtub to a barrel to a pair of boots or a modified chair. You can let your imagination go wild on the shape, size, color, width, or height of the containers for your garden; personalizing it into your own unique piece of art.

Pixabay/ Public Domain/CC0

Containers allow you to experiment with new plants, try something outside of your growing zone; new growing medium, new watering methods, etc; if you don't like the results of your experiment, it is easy enough to start over with something new.

The one tricky thing about container gardening is watering, this is why you must make sure you have good drainage holes, and not just one but lots of them at least the size of a pea. If you are using a object that has none, you must find a way to make your own. Over-watering can turn your leaves yellow and leave your plant limp, it will also encourage mold and fungus to grow; under-watering will stint growth and well, could kill your plant off. Most container gardens need a good watering at least once a day during the summer. When you see water coming out of the bottom – stop – wait for the excess water to drain out, then do it again. Surface watering does your plant no good – water needs to get to the roots. Do not water your containers on rainy days, in fact, if mother nature does a good job you may not have to water for a few days.

So join the fun and just don't limit yourself to flowers, try vegetables, herbs, vines and yes, even shrubs and trees.

Pixabay/Public Domain/CC0

Don’t ignore the sun

One of the most common mistake gardeners make when starting their garden is to not focus on the position of the sun in relation to where they wish to grow their plants.  It would be wise for the gardener to take pen and paper in hand and note the position of the sun at various times of the day before they begin gardening.  When observing how and where the sun falls on the planting area keep in mind that throughout the plants life the sun will change its position.  Without the correct amount of light from the sun many plants will not see their full potential.  

The gardener needs to remember plants that need to have partial shade need three to six hours of sun light, full sun plants need eight hours to all day of sun.  Shade plants also need light just not bright sun light. 

The order that you plant your plants can also affect the amount of light, if a plant needs full sun do not surround it with taller plants that will block the light or plant under a winter dead tree that will block the light once the leaves come back.  The amount of light a plant receives is a factor that tells the plant when to start growing, when to start budding and flowering, how long it should flower and when to die off.  This is one reason certain plants grow better in one region and do poorly in another.