Garden Design II

While this week's reading contains plenty of valuable information, we have included here a few supplemental references to garden fixtures and materials that we felt were important and not necessarily discussed to great detail. While these readings are not required, take a look and consider these ideas in your design - many save money or resources and can function to drastically improve a garden for the long-term.

1) Rainscaping Guide
This guide by the Missouri Botanical Garden is a good introduction to thinking about designing your landscape to effectively take advantage of rainfall. More importantly, it's a guide to managing rain where it falls, instead of contributing stormwater to downstream regions. It covers aspects of planting design, stream side buffers, raingardens, swales, and permeable pavement.

2) Woody Plants for Stormwater Retention Practices: Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Regions (PDF download)
 This is a pamphlet put out by Cornell Urban Horticulture Institute which covers the issues associated with storm water, some general info on retention/infiltration practices. More importantly it features an extensive, well-researched plant list of woody shrubs for use in rain gardens, bioswales, and other storm water retention practices.

3) How to make a Rainwater Barrel
This website says it is for Southwest Florida, but it's applicable anywhere rain falls. This is a good tool for storing and using water from your roof for using in the garden. While it doesn't save a ton of money on your water bill, it's an inexpensive way to use non-potable water for watering your garden, retain clean water for future generations, and keep pollutants out of local river systems. Just the rain you collect off your roof in the spring can water your whole garden for a couple months. Do pay attention to the volume calculations, you will find out that even a modest rainfall can quickly fill a typical 55 gallon barrel!

4) Composting Resources
Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County offers many resources for successful home composting. Not only will you produce a nutrient rich soil amendment for all your new plantings, but this is a fantastic way to cut down immensely on your personal additions to the local landfill.

5) Cornell Garden-Based Learning's Garden Guidance webpage, is a gateway for Cornell's program resources relevant to gardening. Topics include many techniques for growing vegetables in any size space, natural weed and pest control, and lots more information on planting and maintenance you may find useful as you continue to work on your garden.