How o cree Rin Grden in 6 esy seps
1 design Firs nd foremos, his is grden for your yrd. So pick rcive plns h you like. Mos of he plns lised like full sun o pril shde. Rin grdens cn lso work in shdy res, bu more creful pln selecion is required. A rin grden is designed o dry ou beween sorm evens. I is no welnd inended o permnenly hold wer. Plns h like verge-o-mois condiions ypiclly do well. If you choose plns h prefer we-o-sured condiions, you my need o wer hem during he summer. Use rock wlls, rbors, or oher borders o help define he boundries of he grden. Sr smll, see wh works, nd expnd your grden he nex yer.
2 locion Build rin grdens ner downspous, drivewys, or oher low poins h collec wer in your yrd. Pick locion where you cn dig shllow depression of he deph nd shpe you wn. You my need o dig i ou in he cener, nd build smll dm on he downhill side of he grden o help hold he wer. Consider where he wer will ener he grden, nd where i will drin ou when i overflows. Try o mke sure i does no drin in n unwned direcion, such s owrds he neighbor s fvorie siing spo. Do no insll he grden on op of sepic nk lech fields or over uiliy lines. Cll he locl uiliy clernce service o idenify buried uiliy lines before digging. Try o pu he rin grden 10 or more from your house o keep wer wy from your foundion.
3 soil & sizing For home grdens, he size of he grden is no erribly imporn. If you hve pleny of room, ry o size he grden o hold n inch of rin from he re h drins o i. Th migh be somehing like n 8' by 10' grden o cch he rin from downspou he corner of ypicl house. If you don hve h much spce, design he grden o fi your lndscpe. Mos rin grdens re bou 4" o 8 deep. Try o pick deph h will le he wer sok ino he soil wihin 24 hours. To do his, dig hole in he grden re (8" wide nd 8" deep), fill i wih wer, nd mesure how fs he wer soks ino he soil. This my ke number of hours. For exmple, if he wer level goes down 1" in 4 hours, he soil will percole bou 6" in 24 hours, so you would mke your grden 6" deep. If he grden only holds wer for dy, mosquioes cn breed in i.
4 preprion Ouline he shpe of he grden, remove he exising sod, nd dig o cree grden he size nd deph you wn. If you hve cly or compced soils, over-dig he grden bou 12", brek up lrge clods nd mix generous mouns of compos ino he soil o cree spces for roo penerion. Grde he grden so h wer will spred ou over lrge, fl re. Afer he grden bed is prepred, fill i wih wer o mke sure i will infilre he soil wihin 24 hours, nd h i drins in he direcion you wn when i overflows. If mos of he plns you choose do no like very we or sured condiions, cu noch in he downhill side of he grden berm so h wer does no fill up he grden for he firs yer. This helps he plns ge esblished. Mure plns cn olere more wer hn seedlings. Afer he firs growing seson, you cn fill in he noch nd le he grden hold more wer. 5 C h I T l P g C l W w p T p o
5 plns Consider plning nive wildflowers, grsses, nd shrubs. Mny hve very deep roos h do good job of breking up cly soils nd incresing infilrion ech yer. If vilble, plugs re n economicl pln selecion. Plugs re young plns in coniners bou 2" in dimeer by 5" deep. They esblish fser hn seeds, nd re less expensive hn lrge poed plns. Pick 6 or 8 pln species o ry firs. Group he sme plns ogeher in clumps of les 3 o cree mounds of color. Pln grsses beween he clumps of wildflowers. This helps prop up he flowers when hey ge ll. Choose pln locions in he grden bsed on how much wer hey will olere. Plce plns h like weer condiions in he lowes pr of he grden. Pu plns h like drier condiions round he edges. When picking plns, lso consider how ll nd wide he plns will ge when hey mure. Spce hem ccordingly. Plce ller plns in he cener of he grden. The pln lis righ conins species h re common in mny prs of he U.S. We like he nive species becuse hey hrive in our locl condiions nd hve deep roo sysems, nd mny olere boh spring rins nd summer droughs. Bu you ren limied o his lis. If you like culived vrieies, choose plns h like verge-o-mois condiions. plns for your re* Nme Sun Wer Color Heigh (in fee) Bloom Monh Plm Sedge M-W Yellow 2-3 - - Blue Flg Iris M-W Blue Viole Mrsh Milkweed M-W Pink Whie 2-3 My-Jun 4-5 - - Swichgrss D-W Yellow 4-6 Jul-Aug Joe Pye Weed Obedien Pln Purple Coneflower Lile Blue Sem M Purple 3-4 Jul-Aug M D-M Pink Whie Pink Purple Nine Brk D-M Pink Whie 3-4 Jun-Sep 2-8 Jul-Aug D-M Brown 2-4 - - 5-8 My-Jun River Birch M-W Brown Green 40-70 - - Moisure: D - Dry, M - Medium, W - We * For full lising of nive plns in your re conc your locl nursery.
6 cre Wer your plns regulrly unil hey re esblished. Mulch he grden wih shredded hrdwood mulch. Weed he grden regulrly. Where wer eners he grden, rrnge rocks in decorive fshion o c s splsh block, help brek up he wer flow, nd preven big sorms from wshing ou he grden inle. Ech spring, prune ded vegeion, prune plns h ge oo lrge, weed he grden, nd ouch up he mulch. Then weed nd cre for he grden s you would ny oher grden. If wsh-off from drivewy or rod begins o cover he plns where he wer eners he grden, clen snd nd sedimen from he grden. Wch he plns, nd don be frid o move hem wihin he grden if hey need more or less wer. Phoo: Mid-Americ Regionl Council (MARC)