Rain Garden Revisited

In February, it seems that winter will never end. I was organizing photos and came across a bunch of the yard. It was heartening to see the lushness of spring and summer and be reminded that the world will take on more shades of green.

In early spring, the rain garden isn't much to look at, but the fountain draws in birds like crazy. That white PVC is the power cord and it will soon be covered in leafy lushness. We have nesting blue jays, robins, and cardinals that call the yard home. The robins especially love a pool party and nest in the lilac tree overlooking the fountain.

By June, the China Snow Pekin lilac (Syringa pekinensis 'Morton') is in full glorious bloom and perfumes the entire block. Although it may sucker like crazy, it's now two stories tall and probably will keep going. It provides shelter for birds and blooms when few other trees are putting on a show. That's a Rivers purple beech (Fagus sylvatica 'Riversii') which I simply adore for the fact that it's emphatically purrrrrple!

In July, the rain garden really kicks into gear as it is planted mostly in natives and of those, many prairie species. It's a butterfly magnet and if you click on the photo, you'll see an Eastern tiger swallowtail deeply enjoying the liatris. This is when we are lured to the little patio to watch the garden literally buzz with insect life.The prairie plants keep on dazzling well into September, so we are a nice pollinator pit stop, too.

This is a functioning rain garden. It is about 10 x 12 feet and it holds about a quarter of the roof volume. It keeps that side of the basement dry and percolates in mere hours. We are spoiled with deep black loamy clay soil that drains, so I didn't have to do any amending when we dug this. Beneficial and beautiful!

Notes from the Rain Garden

It's pretty lush out here.

There was rain in May, about 10 inches over average. My yard has taken on jungle qualities. The trees grew in feet, not inches. Everything is leafy and lush, including the rain garden.

The fountain continues to be a haven for birds. The sparrows have built a second nest in the lilac tree. I didn't realize how big a nest European sparrows build when they have the space. It's about the size of a volleyball. There are also catbirds, cardinals, mourning doves, downy woodpeckers, robins galore, a bluejay family, redtail hawks, the occasional grackle, and goldfinches. So, it's a bird-loud space.

Bee friend on coreopsis.

Finally, as July set in, we are seeing bees. It was a bit too quiet in May and June. Now the rain garden is literally humming. If you sit or stand next to it and listen, you can hear the buzzing. It's pretty cool, really.

 

Hello, there!

Monarch on Asclepias syriaca

Along with bees, have come butterflies. As you can tell, I've let the milkweed go a bit. I can't help myself. On the few occasions it's been pleasant enough to open the windows, my whole house is filled with the fragrance of milkweed blossoms. We also have resident monarch butterflies. They've been laying a series of eggs, but the bird pressure is too high and we don't have caterpillars for long. I think the black swallowtails found the fennel finally. It's a happening place, the rain garden.

Janustory Day 18

Janustory Day 18: As I inch down the stem’s thick buoyant hairs, a deluge of water nearly knocks me into space.

#janustory #wordcount18

Rain can knock us off our feet, ruin our plans, bog down our travel, and mess up our lives. It also nourishes, fertilizes, waters, and cleanses the world. I tend to take a horticulturist's view of rain - good for the earth. And I say that as someone with an old house and somewhat porous basement. Still, I like walking in the rain. I like messing about in puddles. I've enjoyed observing the dynamics of the rain garden and how water moves across my little patch of land. The big snowdrop patch seeded itself in what seems to be a damp patch. Anytime I've planted them drier, they struggle. So it seems we each need a degree of moisture in our lives.

Katsura's (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) waxy leaves will hold a light rain.

Going Native or How Rain Gardens Change Your Life

First, an apology. One of the consequences of being in horticulture is the tendency for spring to be all-consuming. So, I'm sorry that this little blog has been an unwitting victim of the annual onslaught.

Second, an announcement! I have left the retail garden center world and plunged into the wholesale side of hort. I've also done a bit of a left turn from my tree and shrub obsession and dove into the world of native plants, specifically perennials. I'm now working at Pizzo Native Plant Nursery growing more than 400 species of Illinois natives. I've always been interested in native plants and I have planted a smattering here and there over the years. However, after installing the rain garden, I wanted to learn more.

This little cutie pie, Talinum calycinum is native to rocky bluffs. It's going in between the flagstone stepping stones and will get a pea gravel mulch.

So far the rain garden is, well, it's a weedy mess. See the first paragraph? Yeah, so maintenance in my own yard tends to get shoved to the side in spring. We have been spoiled rotten with abundant rain and cooler temperatures, so needless to say, it's a jungle out there. I'm not posting a picture. Sorry. Just enjoy the bright pink flowers of Talinum above. Most of the installed plants made it through the winter and are settling in. Since the bulk of them were divisions from friends and family, I've been crossing my fingers that they will make it. I am having to add here and there. The rabbits are doing their best to mow down every bit of Echinacea and Rudbeckia I possess. These tough natives are hiding out with the Monardas in an attempt to survive the voracious rodents. I'm not terribly picky about a blended patch of Monarda and Echinacea and so far, they seem to be playing well together. The fragrant Monarda foliage keeps the rabbits at bay and it's just starting to flower. I'm also learning that I could have split the chunks of Liatris further as it is already above my waist and growing with abandon. This week, I'll be tweaking the engineering a bit and making one section a little deeper. I didn't anticipate the level of runoff from the driveway, so I need to rechannel that. Hopefully, by next weekend, we'll finish the fountain setup. Then there will be pictures, I promise.

The upshot of the rain garden is that it is WORKING! We have had only a tiny bit of seepage in the basement, which is remarkable considering the inches and inches of rain. The water is holding and slowly percolating, which means about a quarter of my roof volume and quite a bit of driveway runoff is not speeding off into the storm sewer. We have an abundance of interesting new bees. I haven't mulched this area (it's just going to all flow into the middle anyway), so the open soil was riddled with holes this spring from emerging bees. We shall see what else summer and fall brings, but so far, the rain garden is becoming one of our favorite garden spots.