By By Rain Gardens

**J* B* <j*@usol.com>**

Okay, last post on the subject.
I checked out the Kansas City project shooting for 10,000 rain  
gardens (www.rainkc.com).  They got their design from a landscape  
architect.  Dig a shallow saucer shaped area and plant your natives.   
They are just as sure that that is the only way as the folks I saw  
last week  maintained that the only way to build a rain garden was to  
dig out 6 to 12 inches and replace it with a mix of compost and  
sand.  One design on the KC site was right at the base of a down  
spout.  Most of the examples are institutions and none of them have  
any aesthetic value in my limited view.  Again they insist on natives  
BECAUSE native plants have deep root systems, native plants' roots  
die and regrow and thereby feed the soil, and, and, and,  What no  
site I've seen talks about is WHERE do we get all these truly native  
plants.  All the natives in the garden center or most of them are  
varieties bred from the pure natives. All sites tip toe around the  
need for ongoing maintenance.  A perennial garden is a high  
maintenance garden.   Non-natives have root systems.  Tomatoes have  
root systems down 7 to 12 feet.  Many of the ornamental grasses have  
monster root systems.  Hey Kansas City - surprise - the roots of all  
perennials die and regenerate. The folks here in Detroit estimated  
that an average rain garden would cost at least $1000.   I'll be  
surprised if Kansas City gets 100 rain gardens in private homes in  
five years.  Not because it is not a good idea but because there is  
lousy and very confusing information out there about what to do and  
how to do it.

I'm done.  I have made a note on my calendar to revisit the status of  
rain gardens in five years.  Did I tell you about the seminar I  
attended on Cactus Gardens???  Not to worry.

Jeff Ball
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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