Twigs from my garden

Whatever the season, whatever the weather, gardeners love to plan their next gardens. What better time to plan a garden than now, when the soil hasn’t warmed enough to dig and plant and while the danger of frost is still imminent? For the next few weeks, I’ll write about gardens which may not be familiar to some gardeners.A what garden?It just makes sense to me that, since this area has suffered more than its fair share of rain over the past year, I begin with a garden that is both beautiful and practical — a rain garden. A rain garden is planted in a swale or gully, small or large, natural or manmade, which acts as a waterway to carry off rainwater.The reasonTo understand why you may wish to plant a rain garden, you only need to live in northwestern Ohio. Here, farmers depend on drainage tiles, manmade ditches, and waterways or swales to drain farmland that once was swamp and wetlands. We’ve all seen the big rolls of plastic tile in the fields waiting to replace old broken clay tile; we’ve noticed the stream-like depressions created in some fields, where grass instead of crops grow, to allow drainage of surface water. Yet, in spite of all the mechanics used, most fields are often still too wet or partially flooded after heavy rainfalls, resulting in late plantings and loss of crops. The reason for this? Our heavy clay soil. Since we aren’t going to change the properties of our soil or the amount of rainfall we receive, the best long-term solution for gardeners with water problems is to go with nature, rather than go against her.The problemsAnywhere manmade structures are built, the natural tendency of rainwater is thwarted and diverted. Whenever a new parking lot or road is constructed, runoff water, now polluted with grease and oil, must seek a new pathway to a lower level. Contaminated runoff eventually affects water quality and threatens wildlife. Without trees and other vegetation to absorb the water and slow the runoff, heavy rainfall drains so quickly to that lower point, whether a river or city sewer, and fills up so suddenly, it may eventually overflow and cause flooding.The possible solutionSince 2005, Kansas City, Mo., has been creating public rain gardens and encouraging residents to do the same in order to avoid flooding. (See www.rainkc.com for details about this program, called 10,000 Rain Gardens.) We are all aware of the serious damaging flood problems that residents and businesses have suffered in our own towns and cities, such as Ottawa and Findlay. On a much smaller scale, nearly everyone has at least one low spot in the yard that temporarily collects water after a heavy downpour. Whether the problem is large or small, rain gardens can help.The benefitsRain gardens are becoming increasingly popular because they:• Reduce the volume of water flowing to a sewer treatment facility or to streams and rivers.• Reduce the need and additional expense for sewer expansion.• Help maintain a healthy biotic community in the soil.• Serve as natural water filters to keep our lakes, streams and rivers cleaner.• Prevent breeding grounds for mosquitoes.• Slow runoff to allow moisture to be absorbed into the ground and increase the water table.• Reduce mowing and watering.• Are just plain beautiful and fun to grow!I hope this column has piqued your interest in planting your own rain garden. Now that I’ve explained what a rain garden is and why you may want one, I will tell you next week how to plant a rain garden and list some native plants which will grow happily in a rain garden, rain or shine. In the meantime, try to keep “Singing in the Rain,” if necessary.Master Gardener Tip of the WeekEverything old is new again! Rain barrels collect rainwater from roof runoff to be used to water houseplants, tropicals, ferns and orchids, container plantings and vegetable gardens, wash the car, clean windows, wash hand-washable clothing, and basically use anytime when you want to use really soft water (such as washing your hair). Water from a rain barrel is not to drink! Rainwater contains no chlorine, lime or calcium, as well as fewer sediments and dissolved salts than treated water.Either plastic or wooden barrels can be used. Wooden barrels can be left outside over winter; plastic ones must be emptied and brought inside during freezing weather. Because rain barrels are covered with screening, you don’t need to worry about breeding mosquitoes; mature larvae can’t escape. A plastic barrel with a connector to a downspout, hose spigot and overflow can be purchased for around $60 from a garden supply store. Only ¼-inch of rainfall runoff from an average size roof will completely fill a typical 55-gallon barrel.