Rain Gardening In The South

Eco-gardening how-to book

“A beautifully-written, practical guide to planning and creating your own rain garden.” —Green Upgrader You probably spend hundreds of dollars watering your yard, but there is an easy way to save money and resources—by collecting rain to reuse in front and backyards. In Creating Rain Gardens, water conservation experts Cleo Woelfle-Erskine and Apryl Uncapher walk you through the entire process, with step-by-step instructions for designing and building swales, French drains, rain gardens, and ephemeral ponds. From soil preparation, planting, troubleshooting, and maintenance, to selecting palettes of water-loving plants that provide four-season interest and a habitat for wildlife, Creating Rain Gardens covers everything you need to create a beautiful rain garden at home.

Rain pounds the Pacific Northwest, gushing through dirty downspouts, across chemically treated lawns, over oily streets and through public storm drains into bays, rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands where nature struggles to survive among the pollutants. It’s a problem caused by population density and it’s one that you can help solve. Rain Gardens for the Pacific Northwest shows you how to trap and filter dirty water safely in your yard—and how to do that with a beautiful addition to your home. Zsofia Pasztor, a Certified Professional Horticulturalist, shares what she’s learned over the years experimenting with rain gardens in the challenging clay and hardpan soils of the region. The book answers questions that Zsofia regularly encounters in her workshops, including: • Can I build a rain garden myself? • Can a rain garden be too big or too small? • Can I create a low-maintenance rain garden? • Will my rain garden attract mosquitos? • How do you know if your infiltration system is in a “safe” location? • If my rain garden isn’t working (e.g., not draining), how can I fix it without starting over? With photos and illustrations throughout, lists of best plants, and a comprehensive resources section, this easy-to-use guide shows Northwest gardeners, homeowners, and DIY-ers how to plan, design, install, and maintain their own healthy, natural, and beautiful rain garden.

A rain garden is a planted depression that soaks up rainwater runoff from roofs, driveways, walkways, and compacted lawn areas-water that would otherwise carry pollutants directly to our streams. Rain gardens soak up 30 percent more water than an equivalent patch of lawn.Where Do You Put a Rain Garden?Choose an area where you want to soak up rainwater at least 10 feet from the house. Rain gardens can drain water from downspouts or catch water that drains off roads and walkways. Avoid areas over septic systems.Do not place a rain garden in areas that are consistently wet. Rain gardens should drain completely within 24 hours.

DIVThe Complete Guide to Lower South Gardening takes a practical how-to approach to gardening that shows the novice to intermediate home gardener exactly how to get started. Customized for readers who live in Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama, southern Arkansas, southern Georgia, eastern Texas, coastal South Carolina and coastal North Carolina, the book features all the vegetable and ornamental plants that are most popular in this region. Beautiful photos and detailed information make this complete book a must-have for budding gardeners./div

Thе tеrm rаіn gаrdеn іѕ ѕоmеthіng оf a mіѕnоmеr. A rаіn gаrdеn соnjurеѕ uр vіѕіоnѕ оf unеndіnglу mоіѕt lаndѕсаре fеаturеѕ; dеlісіоuѕ bаѕіnѕ tееmіng wіth thіrѕtу plants аnd реrhарѕ аn lаnd аnd water рrоfісіеnt оr twо. In fасt, rаіn gаrdеnѕ еxреrіеnсе a wіdе rаngе оf dampness соndіtіоnѕ, rаngіng frоm tеmроrаrу flооdеd bоg, tо bоnе-drу. Aссоrdіng tо thе Sоіl Sсіеnсе Society оf Amеrіса, a dоwnроur gаrdеn іѕ a fеаturе "uѕеd to ѕlоw, соllесt, invade, аnd fіltеr ѕtоrmwаtеr." Rаіn gardens іmрrоvе thе еnvіrоnmеnt, аnd lооk lоvеlу whіlе dоіng іt. Lеаrn hоw tо put rаіn gаrdеnѕ tо wоrk in уоur lаndѕсаре. A downpour garden, аlѕо саllеd a bіоrеtеntіоn cell, is аn alluring nаtіvе plant gаrdеn wіth a ѕресіаl рurроѕе, tо decrease and fіltеr thе ѕtоrmwаtеr еntеrіng оur nеіghbоrhооd wаtеrѕ. It іѕ соnѕtruсtеd аѕ a рlасе tо dіrесt ѕtоrmwаtеr frоm rооfѕ, саrроrtѕ аnd раrkіng lоtѕ, аllоwіng wаtеr to be hеld іn thе рlаntѕ, mulсh аnd ѕоіl.

Gardeners across the nation are seeing clear signs of trouble in their home gardens, no matter the size—like many aspects of life on our warming planet, gardening practices need updates. In the Southeast, gardeners are under pressure to deal with increasing weather extremes, shifting hardiness zones, and seasonal unpredictability. Such environmental conditions are increasingly tough on plants as well as insects, pollinators, birds, and mammals. In this lively and heartening guide, Barbara J. Sullivan offers an essential, easy-to-use resource for adapting to the new realities of climate change. This book will empower southerners to grow beautiful gardens while using gardening practices that contribute to solutions for our shared environment. Surveys the science behind climate change and gardening Covers USDA hardiness zones 5a to 9b, which include thirteen southeastern states Gives advice on planning and installing gardens that will not only thrive but also help address critical environmental challenges Covers key topics ranging from designing a climate-friendly garden that will attract songbirds and pollinators to weaning off gas-powered tools to using water wisely Features a wealth of color illustrations, charts, and tables brimming with recommended native plants for the region

Rain gardens are at the forefront of the green revolution. This environmentally friendly landscaping captures rainwater runoff rather than redirecting it into storm drains. The result is less erosion, less water pollution, and a beautiful, low-maintenance, sustainable garden. This is the first rain garden handbook for the backyard home gardener. Co-authors Robert Domm and Lynn Steiner draw on hands-on experience to help homeowners build beautiful rain gardens in their own yards. Illustrated with color photography, this instructive book offers specific advice about planning, building, planting, and maintaining your garden. Learn about city grants, how to calculate runoff, rain barrels, attracting wildlife, gray water recycling, and much more.