FEBRUARY 1, 2018 // 15
for
22
$
ILIES
FAM OME!
C
WEL
ECIAL!
Y PIZ Z A
DA
Piz 2 zas
SP
TU ES
out
Hungry
Harbor
GrillE
503.325.7414
bakedak.com
#1 12th Street, Astoria, OR
3 8TH & L, ON THE S EAV IEW BEAC H APPROAC H
3 60-642-7880
V ALENTINE’S DAY DINNER FEB 14
North
Coast
and
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Imagine
503.755.1818
www.camp18restaurant.com
Favorite stop to & from the Coast
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3 13 Pa c ific Hw y, Do w n to w n Lo n g Be a c h, W A
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–– OPEN DAIL Y! ––
A STORIA
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for
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304 37th Street | Astoria, OR 97103
503-325-7768
All orders take-out
COURTESY PACIFIC COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS
A new rain garden
Continued from Page 9
area already has standing
water or high groundwater
during the winter, that would
not be a suitable site for a
rain garden.
Get to work
Place
Your
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Advertise Your Restaurant
Once an appropriate site
has been found, you can de-
sign and build a rain garden
as big or as small as needed,
and tailor the plants to fit
into your garden design.
The construction of a rain
garden entails digging out
the desired area about 2 to 3
feet deep and installing the
inflow and establishing the
overflow.
Stormwater can be
channeled into the garden
by a swale or a pipe. At the
other end, line the over-
flow with rocks to direct
the excess water away into
a smaller rain garden or
open space (away from
buildings or neighboring
properties). The excavated
area is then refilled partway
with a well-draining soil
mix, leaving 6 to 12 inches
of ponding depth where
stormwater can accumulate
and be held as it percolates
into the earth.
The unique climate
of the Pacific Northwest
means that the plants for the
rain garden must be both
water- and drought-tolerant.
Thankfully, native species
are adapted to this climate.
Place water-lovers —
such as rushes, sedges, iris,
red-twig dogwood and twin-
berry — in the center (see
Zone 1) of the garden.
Daylilies, camas, colum-
bine, boxwood honeysuckle
and dwarf Oregon grape
can add color and texture
to the next layer (see Zone
2) in the intermediate area
between the deep center and
outer berms.
The plants toward the
outer edges (Zone 3) should
be the most drought-tolerant,
such as evergreen huckle-
berry, red-flowering currant,
snowberry and various
ornamental grasses.
Directly after planting,
be sure to cover the bare
ground with a mulch, such
as wood chips to retain soil
moisture, reduce weed pres-
sure and prevent erosion.
A year-round delight
In the first two years, it is
important to keep the young
plants well-watered and the
weed pressure low, but once
established, this garden will
be relatively care-free. Just
remember to keep the inlets
and overflows clear and
reapply mulch as necessary.
The layers of lush vege-
tation in this rain garden will
provide wildlife habitat and
stunning year-round displays
of flowers and unique foli-
age, all while capturing and
cleaning the stormwater!
For more detailed in-
structions and tips, explore
ext100.wsu.edu/raingarden/
for an excellent demonstra-
tion video, a downloadable
version of Rain Garden
Handbook for Western
Washington and more.
Kim Smith, who lives in
Porter, Washington, joined
Washington State Univer-
sity’s Master Gardener
Program in 2016. CW