sustainable landscaping

Rain Garden Plant Selection for Western Nebraska

Posted under Residents, Scottsbluff by Scottsbluff, no comments 13 Apr

There are many different native or well-adapted plants that can be used in rain gardens in Nebraska.  Below are a few that we have used here in Scottsbluff that have done very well in our rain garden.

Bee balm (pictured above) is an excellent rain garden plant, but it can spread aggressively.  In our rain garden, it spread very quickly in May and June, but once it started getting hot in July, it stopped spreading.

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Kearney Rain Garden Workshop and Installation

Posted under Kearney, Residents by Kearney, no comments 22 Aug

On Thursday, September 15, from 9am – 4pm the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Stormwater Management Team and the City of Kearney will be hosting a rain garden workshop and training in Kearney.  The event will include classroom instruction followed by a hands on installation.  The goal of this workshop is to provide hands on training and information, with the end result being a completed example of a working rain garden citizens can see in action. 

  • Do not miss your opportunity to attend this free workshop.  Please complete and return this flyer by

    Residential Application

    September 13th.
    Kearney RG workshop flyer

 

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How to Install a Rain Garden

Posted under Residents, Scottsbluff by Scottsbluff, no comments 29 Jun

Note: This post describes the rain garden demonstration project which was installed in Scottsbluff in July 2010 with the help of the UNL Extension Stormwater Team.  The garden is located on the corner of 19th Street and Avenue B.

Step 1 Choosing the Site

Rain gardens are designed to catch runoff from roofs, driveways, streets, sidewalks, or other areas of the lawn.  This was an excellent site for a rain garden because of the downspout that drains into the area.  Minimum work was needed to channel the runoff into the rain garden.

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