Takoma Gardener

Follow me to Wordpress

2008-01-23T12:39:14-05:00

Change your link to either www.sustainablegardeningblog.com or www.takomagardener.com. If you're here it means that "typepad" is in your URL, so remove it to find my new location.

But if you happen to have used any permalinks to specific posts, they’re dead, baby. Sorry about that. I’ll try to make it up to you.

WHAT'S UP?
This blog’s been doing some moving lately, leaving its old home on Typepad and moving up to the world of Wordpress. At least that’s how Wordpress is usually described. Ultimate freedom, they tout. Simple to use, some even claim. And as much as I like (so far) posting here, setting this thing up was no job for amateurs. The GardenRanters discovered that two years ago and believe me, things haven’t gotten noticeably better. Without the guidance of a web designer/graphic designer, my neighbor and new best friend AJ Campell, this wouldn’t be here at all. She even managed to move everything - posts, categories, comments, the whole shebang - without the blog skipping a beat. I found AJ through Craig'slist, of course.

My Standard Disclaimer about Lawn Removal

2008-01-21T16:28:18-05:00

There's just too much lawn-bashing going on nowadays. While I'm among the throngs calling for less lawn and encouraging homeowners to lighten up, add some clover, and grow it all organically and let it go dormant in the summer, I shop short of painting it as all bad, as though by definition it's a monoculture kept alive by toxic products and mowed with super-polluting gas machines. And it's true that I've recently removed every last blade of turfgrass from my own garden, but I don't want my stories about the transformation to contribute to the demonizing of this garden feature that isn't going anywhere, ya know. So can we NOT just substitute the old conventional wisdom about lawns for a new and politically correct one?

I'll be linking to this article every time I mention removing my lawn so I can stop but-but-butting every time. A standard disclaimer seems in order.

IN DEFENSE OF LAWNS

They CAN be grown and maintained in a healthy, environmentally friendly way. Just ask the folks at SafeLawns .
Organically grown and maintained lawns are reasonably low-maintenance. And after all, compared to what? Ground has to be covered with something, and what else ya got?
They CAN contain a variety of species, even some that provide a little for wildlife in your garden. I'm thinking particularly of clover, which not only is loved by the bees but is self-fertilizing because it "fixes" nitrogen. That link explains how.
Functionally, they're absolutely essential for a variety of reasons. Where else can your kids play if you don't have a lawn?
Designwise, they offer a place for the eye to rest, sometimes called a negative space. The borders surrounding lawn can be busy as all get out but the overall effect isn't busy because of that nice calming lawn.
On my hilly site, lawn has held rainwater like a trooper, though I understand that if it's grown in highly compacted soil it doesn't perform that function as well. But then it's the fault of the soil, isn't it?

So I didn't rip out my lawn because I thought I should, but because I got tired of it and wanted to grow something new. And I always hated lawn care and I'm happy to be free of it, though I'll bet anything my new lawnfree gardens will be more work than the haphazard care I gave the lawn. Results coming soon.

Sustainable Gardening Newsletter January 08

2008-01-18T12:22:20-05:00

Here's the real thing, but below you'll find MOST of what's in it (missing the highly off-topic right sidebar, hinted at in these photos.)

WHAT'S NEW

The Seattle Times reports on what's HOT in 2008 and it's all green - organic practices, low-maintenance plants, rain barrels - everything that's here on the site! And OUT are big lawns and hiring contractors to do everything for you, though to that last item I say "Oh, really?".

Then the San Diego Union-Tribune weighs in with their hot trends for the new year and guess what leads the list - sustainable gardening! (I'm not making this up.)

Now the bad news - the Herald Tribune says that gardening (as in digging in actual dirt) is down as a national trend, though upgrading the garden as a living area is a hot trend. You know, those fancy outdoor kitchens.

The NWF released some Tip Sheets for Wildlife (in pdf) - about bird feeders, nesting boxes, attracting butterflies and more good stuff. And here's more expert advice about feeding birds in the winter from HGTV's ornithologist.

Slate.com poses the the question: What's the best tree for soaking up carbon?

Can tree protection laws go too far? You bet.

What's next? Climate-certified greenhouses in Sweden, so now flowers can be grown sustainably even in the frozen North.

ON THE BLOGS

Sure, we all love outdoor fires but gasp, squint, cough - that stuff's toxic, you know? Smoke, that is. The American Right to Burn Stuff explores the issue and commenters weigh in.

21 Essential Skills of Gardeners is loaded with good ideas and links to more. Thanks to Stuart, who's enjoying spring in Western Australia.

The question was asked: Do cultivars of native plants "count" as native? And readers had opinions.

Firefly in Maine considers the question: What IS a native plant?

Paradise Lost? Thanks to global warming, there are more ticks and tick-borne diseases in our gardens.

NEW PLANT PROFILES More evergreens for "winter interest"

Canadian hemlocks

Pieris japonica and floribunda are evergreen shrubs for shade.

MORE NEW STUFF ON SUSTAINABLE-GARDENING.COM

Next up in the Tools and Stuff section are my favorite Tools for Pruning and Making Divisions, with lots of photos and favorite types and brands.

After this post solicited "real-life experiences with rain barrels" it was all compiled here on the site. This article about it being illegal to collect rainwater and from the comments it looks like it's not just in Bolivia.

New combos are up and I'd LOVE to include photos of your favorites (with attribution, links, my first-born cat, whatever it takes).

Check out this cool family project for attracting butterflies, found on The Mulch and added to my Butterfly resources.

I've discovered Constance Casey, garden writer for Slate, and have added links to her most on-point for readers here. This meaty guide to beginning gardening has been added to the Getting Started section. How to Water has been added to the Water/No Water section. And I love this one: How to not be intimidated by roses.

"ON THE HOMEFRONT" are the stories here about transformation of my backyard from lawn to something else, yet to be determined. Just scroll down to see them.

Click here to subscribe to the monthly Sustainable Gardening News.

Tools for Pruning and Making Divisions

2008-01-18T11:52:15-05:00

If you're not pruning your shrubs, they undoubtedly really, really need it. And all you really need are hand pruners, loppers, and a folding saw, for a total investment of about $150. I'll expound elsewhere on this site about the joys of pruning but right now let's just talk tools. And readers, send me YOUR favorites in a comment or via email.

Hand Pruners

One thing to know in choosing hand pruners is that they're either of the "bypass" type or the "anvil" type and everyone in the world recommends the bypass, and so do I. I even wonder why anyone even makes and sells the other, since they're in such disrepute. The trouble is that they crush stems unless they're kept very sharp, and who does that?

Now the important thing about using hand pruners is that they should only be used for stems ½ inch thickness or smaller. Do NOT strain to cut something larger with hand pruners because you might damage it in the process (and strain your hand while you're at it).!

My favorite and the fave of most gardeners I know is made by Felco, specifically their #2, shown above. They're a bit pricey (in the $60 range) but can last forever, with parts being replaced as needed. They have a huge selection - some for left-handed people, and even "ergonomically designed" ones for the weak-handed. Now I put myself in that category and bought a #7 model with the rotating handle that's supposedly to be more natural, but never got used to it (to be fair). In other words, it goes unused unless I can't find my #2.

Holsters and belts for hand pruners are also available and are used by all the professional gardeners I know. I love the macho look myself.

Loppers

Loppers are used to cut larger stems, up to 2 inches thick. Again, don't strain to cut anything larger than that or you risk damaging the tool.

A fairly new innovation in loppers is also intended to give the weaker set more strength by using a ratcheting motion that works in stages to give maximum leverage with minmal effort. Again I've tried one and never got the hang of it, honestly. (Is it just me? I'm not sure I want to know.) But don't let that scare you; try it in the store and see how it feels because I've seen them demonstrated and they sure look like they work like a dream.

Fiskars is a good brand for loppers, priced from $17 to $30. Or buy their "Pro" version with its lifetime warranty for $31-37. Fiskars ratcheting loppers go for $172 - pricey but possibly worth it if you're lacking in strength and you can figure out how to use them.

Also highly recommended are Corona brand loppers, another good name in garden tools. Their longer-than-usual handles offer great leverage and reach.

Folding pruning saw

For stems and branches larger than 2 inches thick, it's time for the pruning saw. These little things don't look like much, especially in their folded condition, and only cost about 15 bucks, so people are amazed at how easily and quickly they cut! No kidding; they're amazing and last and last and last. All the cheap ones I've used (purchased at chain hardware stores) have worked well for me.

Pole pruner

Pole pruners up to 12 feet in length let you reach for those limbs you'd otherwise have to hire a tree care company to remove for you, and that ain't cheap. While they can be a bit awkward to use, it sure beats getting on a ladder, any day.

Hedge Clippers/Shearers

Now for my anti-shearing rant. Shearing shrubs into perfect, unnatural shapes and sizes is the biggest pruning mistake there is (that and not pruning at all). Why? Here's a short course in the reasons.

Eventually shearing produces an almost inpenetrable exterior that prevents light, air and water from reaching the center of the shrub. It also produces a perfect place for leaves and other debris to accumulate. The interior of the shrub then becomes less and less vigorous, more susceptible to disease and insect infestation.

It's awfully high-maintenance to keep perfect shapes perfect! What's much less work is a looser, more open and natural style. Details on how to achieve this are coming soon to this very site.

The ONLY time I use hedge clippers (aka shearers) is to remove large numbers of old flower all at once - the fast deadheading method for masses of perennials or flowering shrubs. Oh, and some conifers benefit from a light shearing and I have been known to do it to a tall cylindrical juniper. Very little is actually being cut off - just enough to remove errant stems and stimulate some new growth at the plant's center.

Steak knives - for making divisions

Nothing beats a cheap steak knife for slicing through the roots of perennials. I usually buy 5 for $1 at the Dollar Store every spring and at that price I don't mind that they don't stay sharp forever.

Tool Choice and Care Information on Line

Great article about shovels by HGTV's Paul James
Tool care tips by Felco.
Caring for tool handles, and how to sharpen a shovel, from Lowes.
Good advice on cleaning and sharpening from Fine Gardening Magazine.

And in Print

The Tool Book by Logan is the latest favorite.
Garden Tools and Equipment by the editors of Fine Gardening.
Year-Round Guide to Garden Maintenance by Gordon and Mary Hayward.
Garden Tools by a bunch of authors.
Tools, Techniques and Tips for a Successful Garden by Dobbs and Knowles.

Shopping

Sears Gardening Tools and Equipment - they've always had a good reputation. As for their clothes, not so much.

Photo credits: Hand pruner by Felco, lopper by Corona, folding saw and hedge clippers from Bahco, and pole pruner from HGPromotions.

What's "blooming" in January?

2008-01-14T18:12:54-05:00

Think of those quote marks as a wink to the quaint notion that blooms MATTER. In fact, I have a little story about that.

When the Associated Press photo editor called me to set up a shoot of me in my garden earlier this month there was grave concern that this would even be possible. Did I have ANYTHING blooming, even a HOUSEPLANT? And that just got me started on my schtick about evergreens and rocks and ponds and garden furniture and all that good stuff and she fell for it! No seriously, though a nongardener working and living in Manhattan, she could envision all that looking damned photogenic.

And the photographer herself immediately saw all the best shoot locations - standing under an arched doorway, against the backdrop of a waterfall, on a teak bench with evergreen foliage and red berries behind me and ON AND ON. (Did I mention it was about 40 degrees and a bit windy, too?)

But back to blooms because that's what gardenbloggers show off on the 15th of every month and I only have one really sad-looking and disappointing hellebore bloom (H. foetidus) that you don't want to see. That's why I'm showing you my friend Pam's rosemary as it looked just last week, which she assures me will be its happy state right through the winter. Gotta get me some of that.

And here's a favorite winter photo of mine, taken at the National Arboretum. Don't winterberry hollies look awesome massed like that and paired with grasses? For the Latin-inclined, that's Ilex verticulata.

"Will this groundcover work?" The Trial of Creeping Sedum

2008-01-14T14:36:16-05:00

This is Part Umpteen in my series about Getting Rid of My Lawn in which I ponder the question of what plant(s) to grow instead. As much as I enjoyed the book Covering Ground, it didn't - and couldn't - answer every question about every site, so experimentation is needed.

Now there are lots of plants being tried (or "trialed," to use my new favorite hort term) as replacements for turfgrass and they have to meet these requirements:

Short enough to drag a garden hose across them
Drought-tolerant
Less labor-intensive than the lawn was, or at least more enjoyable tasks than lawn care, so you see I'm setting a low bar.
Happy in this sunny, sloping site with really nice soil.

Here's the plant I have the most of, since it grows as a weed here. I call it creeping sedum but if you know the Latin name, please tell me. I did notice that that groundcover book cautioned about this group of plants doing a poor job of preventing erosion on hillsides because their roots are so short. It's always something, to quote the beloved Rosanne Rosannadanna. But I ain't giving it up without a fight.

Then there's my own question/doubt about this plant: Will it be evergreen enough to look decent all winter in the center of the whole backyard? Here you see it photographed in January, so whadaya think?

Where there once was lawn - a new fieldstone path

2008-01-12T17:00:21-05:00

I've confessed to having second thoughts about the whole lawn removal project, but maybe it's just impatience with the work in progress, construction site look of the garden at the moment. Compared with my neighbors' lovely green lawn, ya know. But I'm over it (for now) and moving on.

When I last reported on this project I'd removed only the lower half of the lawn, which I was replacing with a variety of groundcovers, complaining all the while about it not looking good. Well, I decided I wasn't ever going to like it because it looked exactly like half a lawn had been removed; the design just didn't make sense. So out came the rest of the lawn and the next step was to complete the fieldstone path across the whole space. That meant a trip to the stoneyard.

Now here's my beef about stoneyards: They're NO PLACE for homeowners. Even if you're not run down by a frontloader, it's really hard to find just a few of something, like the 13 fieldstones I needed. The good ones are bundled up in pallet sizes and for small orders ya have to comb through what they call the "Loose Wall". And some guy was already there doing the same thing, hunting for the largest and flattest from what would more appropriately be called the "Wall of Slim Pickings". So rather than duke it out with him, I went in the office and asked if a new pallet could be opened up for us and it worked! So I found 13 (barely) large enough fieldstones and completed the path. And gardeners, you all agree that paths are fabulous, right? Even when they're much narrower than the two-person width that we're always being told is the absolute minimum.

SLOW GARDENING
And this is a good opportunity to expound (again) on the topic of slowing down and getting it right, one of the advantages of DIY garden design. Whether I'm creating a new border line or a path like this one, I always do it slowly and gradually, tweaking as I go, stepping back again and again to see if I like the look. So what you see here is just one tweaking, with more adjustments to follow before they're dug into place.

Making it illegal to collect rainwater

2008-01-06T17:31:31-05:00

This is fascinating. I recently heard Charlie Rose interview Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. Here's a snippet from the Village Voice about the book:

In The Shock Doctrine, journalist Klein trains her sharp investigator's eye upon the flaws of neoliberal economics. This meticulously researched alternative history, ranging from economist Milton Friedman's "University of Chicago Boys" to George W. Bush, brings Klein's argument into the present. Using stirring reportage, she shows the ways that disasters— unnatural ones like the war in Iraq, and natural ones like the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina—allow governments and multinationals to take advantage of citizen shock and implement corporate-friendly policies: Where once was a Sri Lankan fishing village now stands a luxury resort. The Shock Doctrine aims its 10-foot-long middle finger at the Bush administration and the generations of neocons who've chosen profits over people in war and disaster; the effect is to provide intellectual armor for the now-mainstream anticorporatist crowd.

But what's relevant to our discussion of rain barrels is her mention of what happened in Bolivia. They privatized their water resources, with U.S. company Bechtel winning the contract, and subsequently outlawed collection of rainwater because it threatened Bechtel's profits. Here's more on the story. And here's a little video about it.

Rain Barrel Round-Up

2008-01-01T16:52:51-05:00

Thanks to everyone who contributed their real-life stories to this Round-up about Rain Barrels. Most of those comments can be found on this post at GardenRant.

Why all the interest in rain barrels?

They reduce the load on our municipal water supplies.
They save (a little) on our water bills, though not enough to justify using them on the basis of cost alone. In one test a rain barrel saved about 1,300 gallons over the summer, and one user told me he'd saved $35 over the course of the summer.
If your roof is slate or metal, the collected water will be naturally soft, chlorine-free rainwater and excellent for plants of all types. Water falling from asphalt roofs is too polluted to use on foodstuffs or TO DRINK. (There's more below on the question of polluted water falling from our roofs.)
They reduce or eliminate runoff of stormwater into our watershed, which means less downstream pollution and sedimentation. Even here in the East where we've been having prolonged droughts, global weirding has also brought more severe downpours, so the runoff problem is just getting worse.

So, are they worth it?
I posed this question: "Can one or even two 55-gallon barrels really make a difference, or are they mainly feel-good items, as one expert suggested to me?"

And an answer was: "YES! Before we build our rain harvester we were using a 55-gallon trash can wedged under a downspout. It was a mosquito nightmare, but our moderately dry southeastern PA summer kept it full enough that we could dunk a watering can a few times a week to give our garden a boost. Ten good minutes of rain would refill the barrel.
From Austin: "I use the rainwater mostly for potted plants or to water recently-transplanted seedlings. I do not think the rain barrels save me very much on my water usage but as far as I'm concerned every little bit helps. If everyone took small steps, it would have a bigger impact than just a few people taking large steps. City of Austin provides them at a discount ($35 for 75-gallon).
Another happy Austinian: "We have two rain barrels, which I use to top off my container pond (the fish don't have any problem with runoff from my asphalt shingle roof) and to fill up a can for whatever hand watering I do. The overflow from one rain barrel is directed into a dry stream that flows into a rain garden (Read her article here.) I love my rain barrels--only $65 each from the City of Austin and no problems with leaks or cracking. However, as (pointed out above), two rain barrels can't hold enough water to get us through the dry summer months. I'd really love to have a cistern one day."
One commenter thinks rainwater collection is going to become more important in the next few years, with increasing droughts making it harder to justify watering flowers and veggies.
From the San Francisco area: "Having now emptied one 60-g barrel (in order to dry it for re-caulking) and using the water in the garden as I would normally do, I think if I had one more 60-gallon barrel, I could go without using any city water during a normal dry season.
Another commenter reports that "To make them more appealing in the landscape we planted bushes around them, no one knows they are there unless you are standing right next to them. Both hold about 100 gallons and I would highly recommend them."
From a designer in the Bay Area, "Rain barrels are a moot point in my Mediterranean climate - no real measurable rain fall from late April through late November. When it does rain here starting (fingers crossed) in December thru March, most of my garden is semi-dormant and does not require the rain. The captured rain that would fill 2 or 3 barrels would be used up in a matter of weeks leaving the barrels barren for 6 months of the year. At the moment even our indigenous reservoirs are at less than 40 percent capacity. The only way a rain barrel system would benefit my small suburban garden is if it was paired up with a grey water system and I modified my sub- tropical plant collection habit to include only drought tolerant plants.
From Wisconsin: "I have five 55-gallon oak rain barrels on our property. For all but the summer drought it supplies all my irrigation needs when combined with xeriscaping and deep mulch techniques. We get about 30 rain events, so our five barrels are saving about 10,000 gallons per year. That is not huge, but not insignificant. Again, multiply that out to every home in a subdivision, and you begin talking about acre-feet of runoff saved. Now, I make rain barrels for profit, so I am biased. But my goal is that rain barrels are 'toe in the door' items to begin to alter thinking. For families using rain barrels, water is suddenly a resource to be harvested, not a utility to be paid.
A reader in North Carolina says that although his county helps owners buy them, he's still not sold on them because of the resulting mosquito problem and inadequate water pressure.
"My husband and I built a rain barrel system that holds about 500 gallons. We've posted about it a few times. It was simple, and cheap! The whole thing cost under $200, and it provided water all summer. We never once had to turn to the well."
Another commenter: "Rain barrels are just a start. I wish I had a cistern like the house I grew up in had."

Overall, rain barrel owners look like a happy bunch, don't they? But usually only if they did their homework and got it right.

Which to Buy?
Some users say "The bigger the better" while others suggest working backwards to determine how much excess water your garden could actually use. Whatever size or combination you use, have an overflow system because rain barrels can fill up in as few as 5 minutes. Surprised? Well, a quarter-inch of rain falling on an average-size house yields slightly over 200 gallons! If you're really serious about rain harvesting and have a larger garden, 450-gallon barrels are available.

Another commenter:
"One problem in Austin is that we can go weeks without rain and then get a downpour of 4 inches in an afternoon. Two rain barrels alone don't provide enough water to see us through the dry spells and they quickly overflow during floods. Our solution is to eventually get a much larger system.

Someone wrote to recommend the full-service company Aquabarrel and their website looked so promising, I immediately asked for and got an interview with owner Barry Chenkin. He told me they make their barrels locally in Gaithersburg, MD using recycled materials and sell either mail order or at two retail sites so far - Amicus Green in Kensington, the Washington Cathedral, and soon, Gingko's in DC. They sell kits, individual parts, or full service including installation. Owner Barry Chenkin is so excited about this stuff he calls himself a Master Rain Harvester, and indeed he is, offering build-it-yourself workshops and/or PowerPoints on the subject of rain barrels through the Anacostia Watershed Society and Community Forklift. Here's his video introduction. Here's what one of their customers wrote to tell us: "We have 2 of the Aquabarrel rain barrels that are linked together. They are great, I love 'em. No leaks and best of all the overflow is super huge and we have never had water overflow out the top - it takes a 4" landscape pipe - we buried the landscape pipe and also used their drainbox at the end of the pipe at the rain garden (limits erosion) - No mosquito issue to speak of either."

One DC resident wrote to say she first bought four 75-gallon barrels from Gardener's Supply, one for each corner downspout. After several years one of them froze and cracked, after which she found even better barrels. "They're produced by the RiverSides Program in Toronto, hold 132 gallons in the same footprint as the Gardeners Supply 75-gallon, AND they're designed to withstand freezing." She continues: "If anyone is interested in purchasing one, please let me know. We purchased ours through a group buy and saved a lot - $190 instead of $250 plus. We'd like to get another and and know others who want one as well."

Another DC-area reader says: " I got my rain barrels at Arlington Echo program near Annapolis, and they weren't too expensive. Made out of old Coke syrup barrels. I synched two together because as noted, they fill up fast. They worked fine except for the problem that in a drought there is no water to accumulate.

Don in North Carolina recommends we look into "a community garden in New York City that used a linked array of 20 55-gallon recycled cooking oil drums raised on a platform. A big "butterfly" roof was designed to capture rain and route it to the barrels. It was the major source of water for a garden full of fruit trees and veggies in the middle of the city.
"In my prairie garden, average 14" precipitation a year, we had a big metal rainwater barrel, which stood on our back steps. The steps had a little landing at the top and as it was about 4' above the garden we ran a gravity-fed drip hose from a tap my clever partner soldered into the barrel near the bottom and that serviced all four 10x4' vegetable beds. Veggies were planted more closely than recommended so that leaves completely shaded the earth once the plants were part grown, as the beds had at least 14 hours of sun a day. Rainfall tended to be short heavy thunderstorms during the summer but the barrel provided enough basic water supply. If we had had a long run of very hot weather and tomatoes for instance were developing fruit, I occasionally did a little supplementary watering."

And from San Francisco: "We recently installed two 60-gallon olive barrels re-purposed as rain barrels. Both filled to overflow when we got less than one inch of rain last week. Unfortunately, both barrels have slow leaks from the hose adapter things, and need to be re-caulked. They were badly caulked by the seller, and I failed to improve matters by choosing the wrong caulking material when I gave it a go.

More suggestions from readers:

From Minneapolis: "I like the concept. I got one at a neighborhood workshop sponsored by some environmental group, and I'm not really happy with it. It has all the problems identified in the Aquabarrel video."
"Not sure if this was mentioned in the original post, but you can easily "chain" barrels by setting two side by side and placing a hose between them."
One reader says, "My advice about rain barrels is to buy them locally, with some sort of warranty about quality, or at least good word-of-mouth. Also look for models that have very few places to leak from!"

More Sources and Prices
The University of Rhode Island site offers this guidance about prices: "Ready-made rain barrels range from $89 to $135 each depending on size, style and added features," which doesn't help much, so I've listed as many specifics as I could find. Unfortunately, the largest size refurbished barrel is 55 gallons; barrels from unrecycled materials are available in larger sizes.

Spruce Creek Rain Saver.com sells a 54-gallon barrel for $155.
Gardener's Supply's 75-gallon Deluxe costs $135.
RiverSides in Canada sells 132-gallon barrels for $190 as a group or $250 individually.
Another reader recommended the Arlington Echo in Millersville, MD, and here's their order form [pdf]. Barrels cost $50 each plus $14 for attachment "stuff," but the order form doesn't say how many gallons they hold, though 55 gallons would be a good bet. If you're close enough to pick up the barrels yourself you'll save on the hefty shipping charges (no matter where you buy them).
AquaBarrel sells refurbished 55-gallon barrels for $100 at retail outlets, which saves customers the $55-per-barrel shipping charge for even local deliveries. They'll do the installation for you for a $45 preinstallation inspection and $65/hour to install (a simple one-barrel system typically takes 2 hours).
One commenter bought one ready-to-use at a local farm supply store and was happy with it.
From Allegheny County, PA, the Pittsburgh area: "I recommend the Rain Barrel Initiative sponsored by the Nine Mile Run Watershed Association.

Building Your Own

Chesapeake Bay Foundation's instructions in pdf.
Home and Garden Television's website on How to make your own.
Maryland's Department of Natural Resources on how to build your own.
The City of Takoma Park, MD gives workshops in building your own, which cost only $35 "and some DIY". I'll try to find out more and include the details here.
And check out what some Oregonians are using - Thai Pots,for proof that rainwater harvesting doesn't have to be in earnest utilitarian plastic barrels.
And idea from U.K. "My dad (who has a greenhouse retail business in the UK) used to have a nice little sideline selling used foot container barrels - the stuff big quantities of orange juice, brined vegetables etc are shipped in - as rain barrels (dedicated rain barrels being basically the same thing massively overpriced at the time). These can often be obtained cheap if you have a food factory of some kind nearby and come in all sizes up to massive."
This from Rebecca; "I've created a website about how to build your own rain barrel for about $40. We've got pictures and step-by-step directions, FAQs, safety information, and even a rainfall collection calculator!" Thanks, Rebecca!

Operating and Maintaining One
Barry at Aquabarrel explained to me that by virtue of their shape (something technie about how freezing works), refurbished barrels must to be emptied for the winter. His system uses a diverter to restore the usual rain path down the downspout. His Owner's Manual has more.

More suggestions:

From a DC-area reader: "As to whether fine mesh screen needs to be used, the Gardener's Supply barrel has a "lid" that's made of screening material to keep out debris and bugs. The homemade one is closed except for the hole that the downspout empties into. In order to keep debris out, we used a piece of window screening over that hole. If your barrel is screened off like this, then you shouldn't need mosquito dunks because they shouldn't be getting into the water."
From the University of RI site: "Fine mesh screen should be used to cover any openings in the rain barrel to prevent mosquitoes and to trap debris. And "Rain barrels can be installed upon blocks or wooden crate to provide height for gravity flow purposes."
One DC-area reader says, "As to installing them on blocks or wooden crate to provide height for gravity flow purposes, I use my barrels to fill watering cans so it's not such an issue for me, but if you want to use it with a hose or soaker hose, having it higher will create more 'flow'. Also, the spigot needs to be really close to the bottom of the barrel so you can get all the water. Having it up on something makes it easier to get to. Both of mine have hose sections attached though for more manouverability."
The University of Rhode Island's advice on preventing winter damage are here on this page.
One reader explains having to use a shorter downspout when the barrel is under it. "So you cut off a section in the appropriate height and then put it away to use again when the rain barrel is gone for the winter. You'll need some sort of a joining piece between the section you cut off and the part still on the house though. For one I replaced the entire section with those 'flexible downspout extensions' they sell everywhere. For the other I used a small flexible piece to reconnect the cut off piece. '
A U.K. reader writes: "The diverters are excellent and well worth the extra few bucks."
The Arlington Echo customer in MD: "I have disconnected them for the winter so the barrels won't crack with freezing and thawing water inside. And I disconnected the s-curve input they come with and reinstalled my regular downspout. The screen bucket with mine is a cute contraption that allows rain to come into the top directly and keep out detritus and more to the point, mosquitoes. I think they made a mistake in the winter storage discussion and should have said to reinstall the bucket in the spring and not late fall. And I didn't custom cut the downspout, I just used the old downspout I can cut off when I installed the s-curve pipe to the rain barrel."

Is Rain Barrel Water Polluted?

One reader writes: "I would like to have a rain barrel but to do what I'd like them to do I would need some sort of filter to clean the water from my asphalt shingle roof. I don't think these barrels can be used to help with vegetables and edible plants unless the water from asphalt roofs is cleaned. Too many chemicals could go into the barrel from the shingles. Still if you're lucky enough to have a slate or other type of roof I think they would be really helpful. I may invest in a stand alone version at some point."
But a chemist writes: "On subject of roof pollution: All it takes is 1" of rainfall to fill my barrels. So if I just wait to collect the water from the tail-end of a heavy late spring storm, I'm set. Asphalt is petroleum-based. Petroleum repels water, and water-soluble petroleum-based leachates are likely to be susceptible to quick decomposition by soil microbes. I'm certain my garden soil is rich with microbes. I feel pretty comfortable taking my chances with vegetables from my own garden watered with rain water collected off my roof."
And a reader in Austin reports using rain-barrel water off asphalt shingle roof to fill her pond, and it hasn't hurt her fish.
Another reader in Texas writes that when she had her roof replaced she chose metal for this very reason.

More Information Available on Line

Here's a US government site about water usage.
Check out Aquabarrel's "Learn More" and "FAQs" in the nav bar of their site
Remember Rebecca? Here's her website again, all about her own experiences with rain barrels.

And in Print

Water Storage by Ludwig

Photo credits: Top, from the Gardeners Supply site. Next, a diverter from the Aquabarrel site.

Coming soon: the Rain Garden alternative. One reader wrote to tell me she directed her downspouts to carry rainwater to her garden, which brings us to rain garden techniques as another way to accomplish the same ends. So that'll be the next subject we tackle.

Are we SURE we hate turfgrass?

2007-12-29T16:30:06-05:00

Here's why I ask. This is in my next-door neighbor's back garden by Holt Jordan. With its sprinkling of evergreens, fabulous stonework, and two ponds with a waterfall between them, even winter looks damn good.

But imagine instead of these patches of cold season lawn there were just mulch, or bare earth above herbaceous plants that are hiding for the winter? Or compare it to the muddy expanse where turfgrass used to be in my own backyard, which is now SO NOT PRETTY I won't even photograph it. (It's sealed off from public display by its status as Work in Progress, I tell myself.)

Now that I've cavalierly, possibly rashly banned lawn as a groundcover from my property, is it really so terrible? These patches may even be maintained organically - I know the folks at Safe Lawns promise it can look this good without the gardener behaving badly. Not a bad deal, I say.

Off-topic: Finally, an honest story of recovery

2007-12-29T08:53:11-05:00

Don't miss "Cracked" in tomorrow's Washington Post Magazine by my friend Ruben. Unlike A Million Little Pieces by James Frey, Ruben's story about covering DC's crime scene as a crack addict himself is the truth. And unlike another recent story of recovery in the Post - by a self-pitying ex-university professor - his is honest. It would also make a helluva good book.

Will global warming make Pieris japonica a plant of the past?

2007-12-23T18:35:12-05:00

For years, this has been my favorite shrub for shady spots because of its outstanding appearance all year long. Long white flowers appear in March and April, but its evergreen foliage gets lots of attention, too, especially the new growth that appears in fabulous shades of reds.

Then just this year I started hearing gardening experts warn that global warming is NOT being kind to this plant, and one has even stopped recommending it. Say it isn't so! Maybe now's a good time to look into similar plants like the American species and Japanese-American hybrids (more on them below).

Photo credit.

DETAILS

The straight species can grow (slowly) to 8 or more feel tall, but many shorter varieties are available.-12 tall )
Hardy to Zones 5-8 Japan.
Performs best in partial shade and acid soil.

CARE

Pieris has only average drought-tolerance, so needs watering during dry periods.
Really requires no pruning but if you do you prune, do it after flowering to avoid cutting off the buds.
Unless your soil is already acidic, apply Hollytone or other organic fertilizer for acid-soil-loving plants every spring.
Lacebug is a common and serious pest that sucks the sap from the leaves, yellowing them. Adequate shade, water and soil acidity reduces its vulnerability, however.

Photo credit.

PIERIS FLORIBUNDA, AND HYBRIDS OF THE TWO SPECIES

Pieris floribunda, a native plant from Virginia to Georgia, is 2 to 6' tall, with a greater spread. It's harder to propagate so, not surprisingly, it's not as available as the Japanese species. Woody plant expert Michael Dirr reports learning that the natives consistently die out in the Atlanta area but that hybrids (crossed with the Japanese species) do just fine there.

Sustainable Gardening News

2007-12-18T15:59:40-05:00

The December issue is out and available right here. "What's New?" is a compilation of news and blog posts about such meaty topics as native plants, drought-resistance, composting, and organic gardening. This month there's a link to Kathy Purdy's review of a new organic gardening book and Graham Rice's review of New Gardening - a British take on all those subject that I can't wait to read myself. So please, if you know of good links or have written about these subjects yourself, drop me a line and I'll include them - both in the newsletter and permanently on the site.

HELLO, SUBSCRIBERS, WHEREVER YOU ARE
All 86 of you and counting, and thanks for the encouragement you've sent via email. Apparently some people subscribed because they're not regular readers of GardenRant (it happens) but still want to be kept in the loop on the meaty issues. If you're like them, or if you just have a perverse interest in the new feature "My So-Called Second Career", subscribe here.

Bloom Day? More like Green Day - evergreen, that is

2007-12-14T15:27:54-05:00

Funny thing - by reading gardenblogs from other climates I've come to better understand my own climate and how it affects my gardening choices. I now see that it's only because my beds and borders aren't covered with snow all winter that I care about having evergreen groundcovers. And unlike other gardeners who write about raking dead leaves into their borders for the winter, I quickly remove fallen leaves because I'd much rather see the evergreen groundcovers underneath (and potentially being smothered by) them.

Something that all temperate zone gardeners can agree on, though, are the glories of evergreen shrubs and trees, like the ones I grow listed here just below the deciduous ones. But today it's not those big green partners in my garden that I've come to praise but rather the evergreen perennials that I wouldn't even see if I didn't continue to stroll my garden through the winter. But stroll I do here in Zone 7, more days than not.

Euphorbia amyga loides (top) is my new favorite perennial.
The lamb's ears (above) are starting to look ragged and definitely aren't blooming but they still look good, even after our first snow. Same goes for the Pulmonaria (right). Liriope looks look good all year. Carex? Same deal. (Photos in the links.)

And how about the Persian ivy 'Sulphur Heart' (above left)? It's well behaved and always gorgeous.

Bulbs just got a lot easier

2007-12-10T12:13:04-05:00

It all seems so obvious now, that planting tulip bulbs in groups is waaay easier than one at a time. Well, that much I would have guessed but for some reason I thought we're not supposed to do it that way. So my 50 tulips in front of a sunny border have always sprung from 50 separate holes. But having learned that Elizabeth sticks 50 of them in ONE HOLE and GETS AWAY WITH IT, well damn, I can bunch 'em up a bit, right?

So I planted in groups of 3, 5 and 7, resulting in the digging of only 10 holes for my yearly batch of 50 tulips. And I already know they're going to look better that way because when I'm looking for a really super photo of them at their peak, I crouch and contort myself to get as many as possible in the shot. To me this is more proof that the quest for beautiful garden photographs can be a fine guide to garden design itself. ("Let's see; where can I plant this for a killer photo?")

Oh, oh, and another big advantage of bunching is that it's actually possible to put squirrel-prevention screening on top of them, which it sure wasn't when I planted all 50 scattershot among the perennials. So when I saw the squirrels digging right on top of where I'd planted them (thankfully, stopping when they hit the red pepper flakes on top of each one, but still messing up the planting) I knew I needed more protection than red pepper flakes, and it was easy to cut just 3 pieces of wire window screening to cover the tulip areas. (Note to 2008 calendar: remove the screens by late March.)

And here's one of those gardening tips to add to the frenzy of bulb worship we seem to be in the midst of over on GardenRant. Plant them in pure compost to make it super-easy. My tulip border started life in my garden as a gully, so I filled it in with pure compost and man, digging in it is a breeze. Sliding my spade in that friable black goodness, well, it's like bud-ah, to steal from an old SNL skit. And people like Elizabeth with big raised beds all know this but here in the burbs, not so much.

WHAT THE USUAL SOURCES TELL US
I went a'surfing the Web and:

Dutch Garden's site offers the design idea that bulbs look best in informal groups of 5 to 11. Endorsing the massing in one hole? Well, no, because they go on to recommend a solid block of color or 20+ bulbs "planted just a few inches apart". So either that's lots of separate holes or a much bigger hole than I had in mind.
Here's Cornell telling us that planting tulips 4-6 inches apart leaves enough room for bulbs to "grow for 2 or 3 years before they need to be divided." Ah, so if that's the reason we shouldn't plant them cheek by jowl I can safely ignore that advice because my tulips are destined to being yanked and composted after they fade, anyway.
eHow has a video on the subject by the very well qualified Willi Galloway, West Coast editor of Organic Gardening Magazine, but she makes is pretty intimidating. Materials needed before digging: soft rock phosphate, bulbs, compost, trowel, chicken wire, chicken cutters. I can't really disagree with anything she recommends but it's kinda daunting, not the "Bulbs are easy-peasy" reports you read on blogs.

So are experts there to specify the ideal, while bloggers fill readers in on the reality, the good-enough, the relax-and-enjoy of growing plants?