Create a rain garden to absorb the storm

A rain garden is a bowl-shaped area that is designed to capture and absorb rainfall and snowmelt and is a cost-effective stormwater management tool that can be incorporated into a variety of landscapes.

When stormwater is captured, it helps to decrease the volume of runoff, thereby reducing flooding that can erode stream banks and decreasing the amounts of sediment and pollutants that enter the waterways.

Free copies of the Rain Garden Manual for Vermont and the Lake Champlain Basin are available at Cavendish Fletcher Community Library, 573 Main St. in Proctorsville, and at Fletcher Memorial Library, 88 Main St. in Ludlow. This well-illustrated 28-page booklet is proving to be very popular, and restocking is ongoing. The manual can be downloaded here but it lacks the the pull-out tables on ferns, grasses, perennials, trees and shrubs that are included in the paper copy.

The section titled “Some Tried and True Plants” is useful to consult when you go plant shopping; it provides information about each plant’s sun exposure requirement, salt tolerance, seasonal interest, the pollinators it attracts and more. Although rain gardens are not recommended for naturally wet areas of a lawn, there are trees and shrubs that can be planted to absorb water in such locations.

If you would like more information about planting to maintain riverbanks in and around the Black River Watershed, contact the Black River Action Team by clicking here or by calling 802-738-0456.

If you have gardening questions, take advantage of the free UVM Extension Master Gardener Hotline. Volunteers are available to take phone calls on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon at 802-656-5421. Alternatively, you can submit questions online here.