A rain garden is a terrific way to add beauty and eco-friendly benefits to a yard. The concept is simple: strategically placed plants help absorb excess rainwater before it flows off the lawn and dirties our rivers and streams

Iris is one of my favorite perennial genera consisting of over 300 species. When growing iris it is important to determine the species. Some like sun others like shade and some want wet. Others can't tolerate wet feet at all. They can be 4 inches or they can grow to be over 3 feet tall.

A few years ago my husband and I moved to a lakefront property that had lawn growing down to the water's edge. I immediately started researching putting in a riparian buffer (I always think of Hyacinth from the britcom "Keeping Up Appearances" touting her "riparian buffet" when I hear that phrase).

I sometimes wonder why I am writing about stormwater on a website that deals with planting more plants and what else should I would write about after my previous three posts on rain barrels. Actually, there is such a strong relationship between stormwater and plants that I don't think I'll ever run out of topics. Plants are essential to reducing stormwater runoff. By reducing stormwater runoff, we reduce the chance of flooding, the chance of erosion and the impact on streams, lakes and the Chesapeake Bay. I'll explain this in my next few blog entries.

Garden lovers should mark their calendars for Sept. 22, when the Norfolk Botanical Garden will host two great events focused on conservation landscaping.

Start the day off with the Garden Symposium from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The theme of this symposium is "How Sustainable Gardening and Landscaping Projects Improve the Health of Your Garden." Guest speakers will explain how gardeners can create nature-friendly landscapes and improve the health of their gardens at the same time. Lunch will be served, and door prizes will include a rain barrel and gift certificates for professional landscape consultations.

In 2010, the Chesterfield County Environmental Engineering Department and Friends of Chesterfield's Riverfront launched the Riparian Stewardship Program. The program encourages county residents to cherish and protect the riparian buffers on their land. Riparian buffers are areas of vegetation along waterways that protect water quality by filtering pollutants from stormwater runoff, preventing erosion and providing shade and wildlife habitat.

It is the season of "dog days," days so hot and humid that you can cut the atmosphere with a butter knife. Or, as our grandparents said, "days fit for a dog's activity - lying in the coolest spot available." The challenge for both people and plants is to keep cool.

This is a continuation of Jan-W.'s rain barrel blog series. To read his other posts, click here.

After constructing my first rain barrel and talking with friends, I came to the conclusion I needed to make a few adaptations. The small spigot was OK, but it took a long time to fill a watering can. In addition, when I started to build rain barrels there was no easy way to connect a spigot to a barrel and making that connection waterproof. Friends of mine had been successful; however, somewhat frustrated by the low water pressure, they eventually connected a soaker hose to the spigot and told me it took five hours for the barrel to empty. This may actually be great if you need to water a vegetable garden, but they ended up emptying their barrel after one time.

June 20-26 was Virginia Pollinator Week, a time when we focus with others across the United States on the irreplaceable value of bees, butterflies, moths and nature's other pollinators.

There is an alarming and discernible decline in the population of these fascinating creatures that make seeds and fruits magically appear on plants, shrubs and trees. While this decline is not news for those of us interested in gardening and farming, the week reminds us how much we need to ramp up our efforts to reverse this trend and educate everyone about the far-reaching effects a loss of our pollinators will have on everyday life.