Today's Most Popular Video
Sep 4, 2009 7:19 pm US/Central
Rain Gardens Put Runoff Water To Good Use
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (WCCO) ―
-
-
"We're providing a habitat for butterflies, birds, bees and even critters," said Karen Filloon, a landscape designer with Southview Design.
CBS
The Twin Cities area hasn't had a lot of rain lately. But when it does rain, one of the biggest problems with growing cities is the runoff. All that rain goes into the sewers and isn't absorbed into the aquifers for ground water.
But there's a simple answer for that -- it's called a rain garden.
"We're standing in the middle of a rain garden," said Don Shelby outside the Eco Experience Building at the Minnesota State Fair. "What makes a rain garden different from any other garden?"
"Because we are capturing the storm water," said Karen Filloon, a landscape designer with
Southview Design. "We're actually harvesting the storm water that comes from the roof of your house or your yard and we're watering these plants. So we're reducing our irrigation and we're actually providing a lot of beauty."
"How do we do it?" asked Shelby. "We find a low place in our yards someplace and then you dig it out and put some compost in?"
"Usually you kind of have to watch your grade," said Filloon, "and site the garden at a spot where it's going to capture the water and you have to dig it out a little bit, a little bit of a bowl. And you put the plant material in the middle that can take wet feet."
"You're talking about things that don't mind wet feet and some drought-tolerant as well," said Shelby. "What do we have around us?"
"Well, we have some sage and some echinacea and liatris," said Filloon, "And you notice the grasses on the outer edge? The grasses are more drought-tolerant and we have some marsh milkweed back here that maybe could take some wet feet. The rain garden should drain within two to three hours. It's not a place for mosquitoes."
"So it won't be a pool," said Shelby.
"It's not going to be a pool," said Filloon. "It's not going to be a pond. It should drain within two to three hours. And then up the sides of that little bowl you put more drought-tolerant materials. It's the right plant, the right place. This is a garden that's 3 years old, so it takes a while for the plants to grow up and grow together to prevent weeds. So the first year, or maybe year and a half, you might have to put down a little of mulch. But no liner, not ever. We're providing a habitat for butterflies, birds, bees and even critters."
If you'd like some tips on how to build your own rain garden and the best plants to put in it go to
Blue Thumb: Planting For Clean Water.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Couple Recalls Deadly Tour Bus Crash
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
