Synopses & Reviews
Rain gardens allow rainwater to follow the natural course of the water cycle—absorbed into the ground, taken up by plants, and evaporated back into the atmosphere. This landscaping choice encourages rainfall on your property to stay on your property, where it can recharge the groundwater, irrigate your trees and shrubs, and even save you money on your water bill. The latest trend in the green revolution, rain gardens cost little to build, can be installed on just about any property, and provide huge ecological benefits by minimizing erosion and reducing water pollution, all while adding to the beauty of your yard with an easy-to-maintain, sustainable garden. And they can help keep your basement dry.In this first user-friendly rain garden handbook designed exclusively for the backyard gardener, hydrology scientist Robert Domm and master gardener Lynn Steiner provide simple, low-cost ideas and advice to help you create your own rain garden using native flowers, shrubs, and trees.
Review
“Rain Gardens should be in every county extension office library, every bookstore, every home improvement store, and on your bookshelf if you have a property that can benefit from having a rain garden. Buy it and build it.” - Horticulture Magazine
Synopsis
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.
About the Author
Lynn Steiner was a longtime editor, writer, and photographer for Northern Gardener magazine. Her articles and photographs have appeared in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Gardening How-To, and Sunset's Midwestern Landscaping Book. She lives with her husband, two teenage sons, a golden retriever, and two cats on a turn-of-the-century farmstead in Stillwater, Minnesota.
Michigan native Robert W. Domm is an outdoors writer and photographer specializing in fine art images of the Great Lakes region. He is the author and photographer of Lake Michigan Backroads and Backroads of Michigan, and his images have appeared in many publications, including Sierra, National Wildlife, and Outdoor Photographer. He lives with his wife in Rives Junction, Michigan.
www.rdommphoto.com
Table of Contents
An Introduction to Rain Gardens
CHAPTER 1: Planning Your Rain Garden
Locating Your Garden
Low Areas
Working with an Existing Drainage Swale
Working around Existing Features
Keep It Level
Ordinance and Setback
Planning for Winter
Sun, Shade, or Both
Calculating Your Water Load to Size Your Rain Garden
Soil Type and Garden Size
Soil
CHAPTER 2: Building Your Rain Garden
Raw Materials
Storage Area
Sketching It Up
Laying It Out
Removing Existing Vegetation
Digging It Out
Mixing It Up
Overflows
Connecting the Downspout
Installing the Berm
Creating a Swale Garden
CHAPTER 3: Planting Your Rain Garden
Creating a Plant List
Designing Your Garden
Edging and Mulching Your Garden
Purchasing Plants
Planting
Care Right After Planting
CHAPTER 4: Maintaining Your Rain Garden
Rain Garden Maintenance Calendar
Long-Term Maintenance
Possible Pest Problems
Plant Index
Perennials
Grasses and Grasslike Plants
Shrubs and Small Trees
Trees
Resources
Index
About the Authors