Rain, Rain, Flow Into My Rain Garden

It has been a wild wet spring as well as the start of summer here in Southwestern Pennsylvania. We have had such an abundance of rain that I can't even get in to my rain garden to weed it out and expand it. For the first time since planting my rain garden, I have standing water again in my lower yard. The garden usually remains damp throughout the summer but it has rained so much that that it can't take on anymore water. In the past water would lay in my lower yard for days. Over the past two years, I have slowly expanded this area and plan on doubling the size of the garden again this summer. Plants wait in my driveway and porch to be planted. Plants in the garden such as Joe Pye Weed and Green Eyed Coneflower look like they are on steriods because the abundance of water.

In the last seven days the garden has collected about 91 gallons of rain water. Since the completion of the garden in the fall of 2008, the garden has been estimated to have collected 2,942 gallons of water. That is pretty awesome for a 195 sq. foot garden. Thanks to a program established with Three Rivers Rain Garden Alliance, they are able to estimate the collection of rain water in each registered garden.

Learn more about rain gardens in the Pittsburgh area by going to:
http://raingardenalliance.org/ or look to lots of good resources on the internet and think about those wet areas in your yard that could benefit from a rain garden.

If You Can't Beat it Join In

While visions of flowers and spring planting dance in my head....the only thing that is visible is lots of snow. Before the big snow fall of February, I actually saw some of my daffodils pushing their leaves out of the ground. At this time of the year I would be seeing the first blooms of my Witch hazels but all I see are small tress buried in snow. And before I built a snow wall, the deer decided that they would eat half of my Oakleaf Hydrangea to the ground.

So if I can't fight the snow , or the deer, I may as well have some fun with it. Pardon me as I share some fun with my furry friend. I took time from all the snow shoveling to dig a dog run around our home. It became the envy of the neighborhood. Here is my Merit enjoying her time in the snow. Time change is less then three weeks away. Hopefully Spring is not far behind.