Rain garden community build!

You are invited to take part in a rain garden community build at the George Dixon Community Centre, 2502 Brunswick Street in Halifax. The event will take place on September 12th from 12-2 pm. 
Please RSVP to water@ecologyaction.ca 

Click here to read our February blog post on rain gardens.

Xeriscape Gardening

We are happy to share another blog post written by Mike Price. This time Mike covers xeriscape (zer-i-skape) gardening, a method of gardening that reduces water and energy use. Climate change is resulting in hotter and drier summers, which means we need to consider new water-efficient ways to  maintain our lawns and gardens. 

Not only did Mike Price write this blog, he also shared a great photo of  his water-efficient garden!

Xeriscaping … a natural, water-efficient
 garden for surviving hot and dry summers

Designing landscapes that match local conditions with xeric (or water-wise) plants, trees and shrubs that will thrive. Xeriscaping literally means dry gardening and was invented in Colorado in the 1980’s. 

Do you have to re-engineer your whole garden to switch to this "xeriscaping"?

No you don't. You can change part of it. Maybe you have a problem area where your present maintenance isn't working well. Maybe you have an area that isn't very attractive in its present state. Eventually you may want to change your whole yard to an Eco-garden, but you can do it a section at a time.

If areas are to be paved for recreation purposes then open joints allow for rain-water to soak into the ground rather than running off the property.

The best way to plan the change is to check with your local nursery, or check in a book or on the internet to find which plants are drought-tolerant, then move the plants that need regular, frequent watering to another part of your garden and replace them in your new dry land area with new plants known to be drought-tolerant.

Is this stuff hard?

This is not rocket science. It's the old learning curve: steeper at first, easier later. Most plants are quite adaptable and give you lots of warning when all is not well with them. And gardens are often somewhat of a "work-in-progress". Plants die, get too big, don't do what you thought they would, or would look better in some other part of the garden. But if you move plants around too often, sticking them here, then there, it’s known as ‘velcro-gardening’!

If you are going to try xeriscap gardening, you do need to know a bit more about plants and soils than the "water every few days" that is adequate when you have loads of rain-water.

There are seven principles of xeriscape gardening. Check out the details at the Toronto Water website. 

By following these seven basic principles when xeriscaping your lawn and garden, you can create a lush, colourful and unique garden that requires less maintenance and water – leaving you to sit back and enjoy your summer. Or travel without worrying about who will water what!

Water-wise plants for xeriscaped gardens

For a complete list of suitable plants that are readily available, visit your local garden centre or look on websites such as the Urban Farmer.

It is a safe bet when looking for drought tolerant plants to pick ones with grey or bluish foliage, usually a sign that they can take the heat and need little water.

Xeriscape Demonstration Gardens

Fort Collins, Colorado

Attributes of good Xeriscape education gardens include labels for plant materials, other interpretive materials such as brochures and plant lists, grouping of plant by similar water needs, ease of public access including ADA standards and availability of knowledgeable persons to explain the garden to visitors. Feedback from visitors to the garden owners or managers should be encouraged.

As a real ‘alternative’ garden concept one could even consider “hugelkultur” instead of irrigation! 

Rain Chains

Rain Chain (Photo: M.Price)

Rain chains are a great, decorative alternative to traditional downspouts. They are linked chains that visibly transport water from your roof gutter to the ground. They are a beautiful addition to any home or building and can contribute to runoff reduction through evaporation and spillage as well as reduce soil erosion. Rain chains have been used for centuries on homes and temples in Japan to transport and collect water in large barrels or ceramic pots.

There are two main rain chain designs that are commercially available – cup designs and link designs. The cups have open bottoms and act as funnels, draining water from one cup to the next. Cup designs are more efficient than the traditional link designs that tend to splash more in heavy rains. Both links and cups emit pleasing sounds when water cascades down the chains.

Rain chains are easy to install. They hang from the hole in your gutter where the downspout would connect and often come with simple installation guidelines. You can order rain chains online, find them in stores like Lee Valley Tools or you can make your own!

Photo: www.ecofriend.com

Photo: www.apartmenttherapy.com

Photo: www.altollmfg.com

Urban Water and Your Property Part Two: Drainage

Last week we shared a blog post written by former manager of Toronto Water and current EAC volunteer, Mike Price, on urban water and your property that focused on incoming water. Part two of the post, also contributed by Mike, examines considerations for urban homeowners around water that leaves your property, also known as drainage. 

Photo: bit.ly/NeUL72

The water leaving a typical urban property leaves via surface flow or underground pipes. The surface flow during a rainfall event will take with it all surface pollutants used on, or deposited on, the surface. The underground pipes can be: 

    -  Sanitary sewer containing sanitary waste and maybe weeping tile water depending on the municipality

   -  Storm sewer containing rain water and maybe weeping tile wate

   -  Combined sewer where all liquids are put into one pipe

Current Issues regarding municipal waste water treatment

·    -  Surface waters, lakes, rivers and oceans, are becoming contaminated from human activities, resulting in polluted recreational waters, damage to fish and shellfish, and changes in the whole ecosystem. 

·     - Storm sewer flows are not treated but empty into the nearest waterway

·     - Sanitary sewage takes huge amounts of power to pump and treat before release into the environment

·     - Combined sewers are prone to surcharging and overflow during heavy rainstorms causing surface water pollution

·      - Sanitary sewers and especially combined sewers are prone to backing up and causing basement flooding in heavy rainstorms

·      -  Previous drainage design criteria often required roof drains and weeping tiles be connected to the sewers (thus adding clean water to be expensively treated at sewage treatment plants)

Current solutions for Urban drainage dischargers

    
     To assist with the big picture - sanitary waste solution:

 -   Reduce flows to municipal sanitary sewer by installing water efficient fixtures

 -   Reduce flows to municipal sewers by disconnecting roof downspouts from the sewer

-    Reduce flows to municipal sewers by installing sump pump for weeping tile water and discharge the clean water to the ground for irrigation

 -   Consider ‘grey-water’ reuse such as flushing toilets

 -   Consider a sewer backflow preventer to mitigate against basement flooding

    To assist in implementing storm water management techniques:

 - Rainwater harvesting (methods listed earlier)
 - Eco-gardening

             - Minimize need for water

             - Reduce lawn area  

             - Move to drought tolerant lawn grass

             - Leave grass clippings on the lawn

             - Use ‘push’ lawnmower to reduce pollution

             - Eliminate pesticides and fertilizers on lawns

             - Use shade trees

             - Xeriscaping garden designs

             - Mulch gardens to retain water

             - Discharge roof water via ‘chains’ to garden

             - Consider natural ponds to capture rainwater

             - Decrease paved areas, increase porous areas

   - Don’t wash the car in the driveway

  - Don’t dump any soapy water, waste oil or chemicals down the storm drain (it goes straight  to the nearest creek!)

- Pick up animal feces