Re: Rain Garden Redoux (sp?)

**S* V* <s*@moosepondarts.com>**

Interesting stuff Jeff.

We've been dealing with a "rain garden" type situation for years at  
our site here in Maine, or at least trying to figure out how to  
garden in a spot that is really wet in the spring but not immune to  
drought in the summer. After studying permaculture principles for a  
while, we've come up with a series of raised beds and swales on  
contour that seem to help mitigate the flood drought cycle by holding  
the water and letting it saturate the subsoil, while the raised beds  
allow us to get in earlier. We have also found that ground covers  
like clover in the paths and thirsty perennials like Hops,  
Marshmallow, and Elecampane along the contour to be useful in holding  
soil and preventing erosion early in the spring. Next step is a  
deeper swale above the garden to divert the sheet flow into a pond  
from which we can irrigate.

Thanks for the thoughts.

Scott Vlaun
Moose Pond Arts+Ecology
Design Solutions for a Sustainable Future

450 Main St. Studio 2
Norway, Maine 04268
207-739-2409 Studio
207-890-4099 Cell
http://www.moosepondarts.com

On Aug 6, 2007, at 3:37 PM, Jeff Ball wrote:

> I posted a blog entry last week about my thoughts a about something
> called “rain gardens”.  I simultaneously posted the piece on this
> listserv. I got some really good feedback which I will try to
> summarize.  GWL is a great group!
>
>   Rain Garden vs. Storm Garden vs. Bog Garden Confusion
>
> There was a strong distinction made between rain gardens/bog gardens
> and storm gardens.
>
>   Storm gardens are specifically designed to redirect storm water,
> often in large amounts.  The storm garden is usually large and is
> most often constructed by a landscaping company using guidelines from
> state or local government.  The storm garden appears to be first a
> mechanism to redirect water and second a place to grow plants.
>
>   A Rain Garden in most views is what we have for years called a Bog
> Garden.  This is a garden that is placed in an area that is either
> always a bit wet (like a bog) or gets hit with a lot of water in a
> short time such as an area at the base of a rain spout draining rain
> off a roof.  A rain garden in this context then is not designed to
> move large amounts of storm water.  It is designed to be a site where
> water loving plants can thrive and if it slows down the movement of
> rain off the roof, so much the better.
>
>   I now understand that the seminar I attended, dealing with “rain
> gardens” was really about “storm gardens”.
>
> Not to be unexpected, I got stomped gracefully about my comments
> concerning the implied requirement that rain gardens or storm gardens
> should be planted exclusively with native plants.  The only argument
> I can find for such a position is that native plants often have very
> deep root systems which are assumed to be able to help remove more
> water; I don’t buy that assumption, but who’s counting?  I go for a
> mix of natives and exotics.  The natives are more important to
> support birds, insects, and other critters needed for a balanced
> ecosystem.  Don’t hit me, but I think the exotics are usually more
> attractive.
>
>   What became very clear from the many comments from fellow garden
> writers was that government at the local, county, state and federal
> levels have no agreement on the definition of terms nor any clue
> about any standardized, proven engineered techniques for dealing with
> the redirection of storm water using storm gardens.  I have no idea
> who should help these poor bureaucrats get their act together; there
> is probably no hope to avoid 50 different sets of laws requiring only
> 20 different approaches to the problem.
>
>   So here is my shot at a set of definitions
>
> Storm Garden – any garden designed to, in some manner, redirect large
> volumes of storm water away from the municipal storm sewer system.
> The plants used in a storm garden are not relevant to whether it can
> perform its function.  They just make the garden aesthetically
> acceptable.
>
>   Rain Garden – A relative of the bog garden, this garden is a
> residential scale garden located to serve as a absorber of rain water
> coming off a roof or down a driveway.  Again the design is first to
> handle a fairly large surge of water in a short period of time, but
> then have plants that can handle living in a wet environment for at
> least a few days.  Again I see no need to specify the exclusive use
> of native plants.  The plants just have to be able to handle wet feet.
>
>   Bog Garden – This is a residential garden that can be located
> anywhere.  Its design requires that various techniques and materials
> are used to keep the soil in the garden on the moist to wet
> condition.  In this wet environment, only bog plants or water loving
> plants will grow.  Removal of storm water or even rain water is not a
> function of the design of the bog garden.
>
>   Maybe everyone else is still upset but I feel better.
>
>   Jeff
>
> jeffball@usol.com
> 810-724-8581
> Check out my daily blog at www.gardeneryardener.blogspot.com
> Check out my extensive web site at www.yardener.com
>
>
>
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