Reprinted from the Bath Country Journal.

Rain Garden Plants … Ideas and Purchases

Planting a rain garden can not only help restore Ohio’s native vegetation and improve wildlife habitat, it can also improve storm water quality. BCJ garden writer Kathie VanDevere recommends the following plants for a rain garden or soggy soiled area:   Aster novi-belgie, Astilbe, Calamagrostis arundinacea  Reed grasses, Carex pendula, Filipendula rubra, Hibiscus mosceutos, Iris siberica, Iris pseudoacorus, Osmunda cinnamomea, Primula prolifera and Trollius.

Also, the Summit Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is offering rain-garden plant packets for sale this spring. The packets, at a cost of $125, contain a selection of 32 potted native plants, a planting diagram and rain-garden manual.

Native plants are not only beautiful, but they are accustomed to the climate in Northeast Ohio. Once established, they require little maintenance, provide habitat for beneficial native insects, do not need pesticides nor additional fertilizer and crowd out invasive weedy species. You will save money on chemical applications and improve storm water quality by keeping extra nutrients and pollutants out of our waterways. 

The ordering deadline is April 25, and pick-up is on Tuesday, May 13, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., at the District office at 2795 Front St., Suite D, in Cuyahoga Falls.          

For a complete list of plants to be included in the rain-garden kit or for details, contact the Summit SWCD office at 330-929-2871, Ext.16. You can also download a rain-garden manual from www.summitswcd.org .