Quick Tips for Planning a Rain Garden

• Identify a low-lying area on your site that is able to catch runoff before it flows into storm drains or waterway
• Rain gardens should be located at least 15-20 feet from the home with a grassy buffer or a rocky area where the runoff passes through before entering the garden
• Consider positioning your garden so that any excess water will overflow away from your home
• Determine the size (generally, 150-400 square feet), shape, depth and budget for your garden
• Build a berm (low soil mound along the downhill side of the garden) and Dig the Garden!
• Don’t forget, soil amendments such as sand and compost will improve overall drainage

For comprehensive information and instructions related to rainscaping, please visit the Chesapeake Ecology Center. If you would like to visit a rain garden, a good example is Brookside Gardens located in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Incorporating Native Plants

Native plants thrive in local environmental conditions and are able to tolerate fluctuations in climate and water levels. By incorporating a variety of plants in your rain garden design you will create visual interest and aesthetic value. Try these native plants when designing your garden:

• Trees – Red Maple, River Birch, Sweet Bay Magnolia, American Holly
• Shrubs – Red Twig Dogwood, Pussy Willow, Clethra, Itea, Aronia, Grasses, Winterberry Holly, Bayberry
• Perennials – Hibiscus, Iris, Lobelia, Blackeyed Susans, Carex, Joy Pye Weed, Daylilly, Astilbe, Chelone, Creeping Jenny, Monarda

• Plant trees! The south and/or western side of the property is usually the hottest. Fast- growing canopy trees like river birch, sugar maple, honeylocust, and zelkova, provide the “ceiling” for this natural “outdoor room”
• Keep the ground cool with understory shrubs, such as viburnum, rhododendron, mahonia, and hydrangea
• Retain moisture below the mulch with groundcovers: columbine, epimedium, ferns, hosta, and lamium. These selections require less water, and need I say it?… help the environment

• U.S. National Arboretum
• U.S. Botanical Gardens
• Adkins Arboretum
• National Zoological Park
• Brookside Gardens
• Cylburn Arboretum

A Little Farther Away?…

• Ladew Gardens
• Longwood Gardens
• Winterthur Museum & Gardens
• Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

In addition to the beautiful grounds, most places offer symposiums, lectures, and/or classes. These might help to define a reason for the visit. Ask us about our experiences, or opinions on lectures, etc. We could be your garden “travel agent”.

Come and See the Show…

Still can’t see yourself braving the elements for an outdoor venture? You can enjoy the springtime feel (indoors) by attending a garden show. Here is a short list to get things started:

March 3-6, 2011
Garden Show of York

March 4-6, 2011
Mid-Atlantic Home & Flower Show (VA Beach)

March 6-13, 2011
Philadelphia Flower Show

March 5-6 and 11-13, 2011
Maryland Home & Garden Show

Maybe we’ll see you there! If you see something you like, grab a brochure, take a picture, or anything else. There’s a lot of free stuff to take home!

Winter Tips

Watch out for that heavy snow, weighing down branches and clogging drains! Brushing off snow now will save structure damage and limit Springtime dieback and deformation. Also, keep a watchful eye on hanging or broken limbs and branches in mature trees.

West coast geography is very different!

Tim and I just returned from a fabulous trip to Oregon for the annual Perennial Plant Association symposium. Self described as” plant nerds” or (plantaholics) we couldn’t resist a 7-day extravaganza visiting Oregon’s leading nurseries, garden centers, and tours of private and public gardens. We rubbed elbows with leaders in our industry: landscape designers, horticulturalist, and educators. Who could pass up breathtaking scenery, gorgeous weather, a lot of fine wine; we returned totally inspired. I wanted to share it with you.

About Oregon

A recreational paradise offering camp, bike, fish, golf, hike, river, snow, and surf activities

The growing conditions in Portland, Oregon are perfect to create these spectacular specimens.

Because of the unique soils, microclimate and elevations, Oregon is a top producer of 225 different agricultural commodities: grass seed, mint, nursery and landscape plants, nuts and berries, hops and wine grapes. The state leads the nation in craft microbreweries per capita and grows the finest Pinot Noir grape in the Willamette Valley.

The diversity of natural resources, in flora, fauna and the land itself, is one of the most valued experiences that Oregon has to offer visitors.

Grey to Green is a plan of action to maintain Portland as a national leader in green development practices & sustainable stormwater management. Solutions to restore watersheds, rivers and streams are to add more ecoroofs, construct green street facilities, plant yard & street trees, remove invasive plants and increase native plants, replace culverts and protect natural areas.

Highlights of Our Oregon Trip

The green rooftop at the Oregon Health and Science University

Visit our online photo album to see additional pictures of our trip.

An amazing tour to see spectacular natural scenery

• Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and the Multnomah Falls, City of Hood River and Mt. Hood.

Urban Solutions for Greener Cities Tour

• Eco-roofs at the Port of Portland Building, M Financial Building, Oregon Health & Science University, and the Multnomah County Building.

Perennial Professional Tour

• Cistus Nursery is a retail and mail order micro-nursery specializing in Mediterranean type plants and hardy tropicals that thrive in the northern Willamette Valley.
• Joy Creek Nursery started by gardeners for gardeners, the primary focus is education, has 4.5 acres of display gardens, over 7,000 species, and weekly workshops.
• Monrovia Nursery has 500 acres of container production, a tissue culture laboratory, produces 12 million liners annually, an award-winning office designed in the craftsman style and surrounding display gardens.
• Washington Park features the oldest official public rose test garden in the USA with 6,800 rose bushes representing 557 varieties.
• Terra Nova Nurseries is one of the world’s foremost breeders of new perennials: Heuchera, Tiarella, Echinacea, Coreopsis and Sedum.

Oswald West State Park to Astoria- The Oregon’s Coast

• We skipped a day of inside lectures and drove north on Highway 101, parked and followed a trail into the forest of old-growth Sitka spruce, Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock and Red Cedar trees that extend all the way to a cove sheltered beach. The soothing forest on a hot summer day was full of pleasant surprises.

Private & Public Garden Tours

• Sebright Gardens has many unusual and interesting plants with a heavy emphasis on hosta. Gunnera, lilies, and calla lilies grow like weeds!
• The McKee Garden frames a gorgeous Willamette Valley outlook. It has a parterre garden outside the kitchen, natural rock work with great water falls and water courses, colorful perennial borders with Hazelnut shell mulching, chicken coop and a potters shed.
• Northwest Garden is a densely planted collector’s garden with a design framework: a woodland garden filled with rare, shade loving perennials, a Mediterranean gravel garden with heat-adapted plants in poor soils and limited irrigation, a natural pond, and a hellebore breeding program.
• Portland Japanese Garden is proclaimed as one of the most authentic Japanese gardens outside of Japan. A 5.5-acre haven of tranquil beauty in the scenic west hills, the garden is composed of five separate garden styles. Through the careful use of plants, stones and water, areas of serene and quiet beauty emerge.
• The Hockensmith Garden an outstanding example of sustainable landscaping on a 40-acre property where both flora and fauna become a natural extension of the house, is featured in the Garden Design magazine May/June 2010 issue.

Don’t forget to situate a rain barrel or other water collecting device nearby, for infrequent top-offs of the water level.

• Run your irrigation system at longer intervals for a fewer number of days
• Water in the early hours of the morning, between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m is best
• Watering in the sun on a hot day, turns water drops into magnifying glasses, causing irreparable scorching to leaf surfaces.
• Clear leaf and limb debris from gutters, downspouts, catch basins, dry streams and pipe outlets
• Inspect your roof for leaf build-up and clear if necessary. For high, hard to reach places, contact a professional

When it Rains it Pours

Rain barrels collect and store rain runoff from the roof, by connecting to the home’s downspout. During the summer months, rain barrels can save the homeowner up to 1,300 gallons of water. Whether homemade or purchased, rain barrels are available in many styles and colors to suit just about any homeowner’s style. Below are some ideas for incorporating these barrels into your own garden:

• After connecting the barrel to your home’s downspout, direct the overflow hose into your garden for immediate watering
• Water inside of the barrel may be used at a later time for watering gardens or other needs
• Maintain the rain barrel by occasionally clearing any collected debris away from the inlet
• Rain barrels should be emptied, cleaned and stored indoors for the winter months

For local rain barrel sources, and additional information please visit Rain Barrels of Annapolis

Did you Know?
As a homeowner, you may be eligible for tax credits if you implement various storm water management techniques.

How much should I water?

Did you know that improper watering is the No. 1 killer of most plants?

Usually when plants need water, they will show you. Look at their leaves, are they wilting? Wilted leaves do not, however, always indicate a moisture issue. The most accurate practice is inserting a finger in the soil. If the soil clumps and stays in a ball, the soil is moist. If the soil is dry, it crumbles. Some homeowners prefer to invest in water meters that read: Dry / Normal / Wet. Trees, shrubs and ground covers each have specific moisture requirements and 1 inch of water per week for lawns is generally recommended. The bigger the plant, the more water it needs. Try watering an area, move forward to a new area nearby, then backtrack and water the first area again. This allows for water absorption. Irrigate all plants infrequently and deeply. Irrigation is most important the first year when installing planting beds. For existing landscapes, thorough watering should get you through the week in drought conditions. For additional information, please visit www.lawninstitute.com.

Watering with an Automatic Irrigation System

• Each zone should be adjusted separately for different cultural conditions (north side needs less water than the south or west side) and when the weather fluctuates
• Install a rain guage and be sure it is set to the ON position, not bypass
• Get a plan of the system, know the zones, and manipulate (turning the system on/off manually) the system, if necessary
• When our area receives its normal rainfall, an irrigation system doesn’t need to be turned on, in most cases, until July

If you have specific questions regarding your irrigation system, Mark Jacob of Mid-Atlantic Water Services, 410-573-1020 is happy to be of assistance.

Watering Manually

• Keep hoses close to the desired watering areas
• Purchase hoses in 25 ft lengths and connect them as necessary
• If some plants are in a far away place, leave a hose or two with those plants and at the spigot
• Coil hoses when done so uncoiling is easy, going in the direction you desire
• Use the heavy duty impulse or pulsating variety sprinklers which generate a high volume of water each minute instead of “oscillating” sprinklers
• Try soaker hoses with sod staples to “attach” and keep under the mulch
• Timers are a good investment, so you can multitask or schedule watering while on vacation

Additional Water vs. Less Water

• Sun vs. shade
• Sloped area vs. flat
• Sandy soils vs. clay soils
• Windy vs. calm days
• Groundcovers vs. sparsely planted beds
• Many large shade trees in a bed vs. a perennial border
• Transplanted plants and newly planted materials vs. existing plantings
• Warmer temperatures vs. cooler temperatures
• Evergreens vs. deciduous plants