A rain garden pours on beauty

Book shows the many ways to put liquid sunshine to work

By Ellison G. Weist

Pamplin Media Group, Aug 14, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009

‘Rain Gardens,’ by Nigel Dunnett and Andy Clayden, published by Timber Press.

When summer temperatures threaten to punch past the 100-degree mark, the idea of relaxing in a rain garden sounds cool and refreshing.

But what exactly is a rain garden?

In the introduction to their new book, “Rain Gardens,” Nigel Dunnett and Andy Clayden define their subject as “a planted depression that is designed to take all, or as much as possible, of the excess rainwater runoff from a house or other building and its associated landscape.”

The authors hope to tie the idea of water gardening to urban planning and environmental concerns.

If this sounds a bit dull and academic, never fear. Dunnett and Clayden punctuate approachable text with a bevy of lovely photographs that capture the beauty and advantages of rain gardens.

The book begins with a discussion of the environmental role and benefits of rain gardens.

Rather than pontificate endlessly on the advantages of channeling runoff into a suburban or metropolitan setting, the authors set forth a refreshing premise: that to last as a sustainable landscape a rain garden “must also be acceptable to the people who use them on a daily basis.”

What follows is useful and interesting material on aspects such as water quality and how rain gardens and their plants can provide a cooling effect on hot days.

1 | 2 Next Page >>

Facebook	Digg	Del.icio.us
Newsvine	Stumbleupon	Reddit