Rain gardens are a landscaping trend focused on making the most of rainfall when we receive it while helping to protect our rivers, lakes and streams. An opportunity to learn what a rain garden is and how to build your own rain garden is once again being offered in Columbus next week.
The rain garden workshop and hands-on installation will be held Wednesday, Aug. 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the new Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce office at 753 33rd Ave. Plan to attend to learn about rain gardens and to have the opportunity to help install and plant a rain garden.
This workshop was offered in June, but rainfall prevented us from holding the workshop and installing the rain garden at that time. I am repeating this article to let you know we are once again offering this interesting workshop for you to attend all or a portion.
Along with hands-on experience, participants will receive a rain garden manual valued at $15 and will have the opportunity to ask questions of presenters experienced with rain garden design and installation.
A rain garden is basically a shallow bowl-shaped garden that has low berms on three sides. The gardens are located where they will receive rainwater from a downspout, driveway or lawn area. Most are planted to perennial flowers and ornamental grasses, but shrubs are used as well.
Correctly designed and installed rain gardens are not water gardens, ponds or bogs. They are designed so that rainwater typically soaks into the soil in less than 24 hours. Hence, a wide variety of plants can be used and rain gardens do not breed mosquitoes.
The Columbus rain garden workshop will be taught by Katie Pekarek, University of Nebraska-Lincoln water quality educator, and Kelly Feehan, UNL horticulture educator. Pekarek has helped with the installation of other rain gardens across Nebraska, and we will benefit from her experience and knowledge.
At the workshop, the morning session will be spent learning how rain gardens are used for water conservation and stormwater management, the basics of designing a rain garden, and about the types of plants to use in rain gardens.
The afternoon will be spent applying much of what was learned as participants help complete and plant a rain garden. Come prepared to get your hands dirty and to be pleasantly surprised at the ease with which most rain gardens can be added to a home landscape, as well as the variety of perennial flowers and ornamental grasses that can be used in rain gardens.
There will be a $10 fee to register for the workshop; however, this fee will be returned to you upon attendance. Lunch will be provided. For more information, please call the UNL Extension office at 402-563-4901 or e-mail kfeehan2@unl.edu.
This workshop is being sponsored by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Stormwater Management Team, the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum and Environmental Trust Waterwise Grant Program, the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce, the City of Columbus, and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Kelly Feehan is a UNL extension educator-horticulture. She can be reached at (402) 563-4901 or by email at kfeehan2@unl.edu.
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