By Amy-Lynn Albertson
Rowan County Extension Director

Hopefully, you have all heard that the Extension Office is moving out to the old mall, which is now called the Rowan Community Center. In January 2025, we hope to be officially in our new office space. I am excited about our new garden space, which was a parking lot until about nine months ago. We are starting to rebuild a soil profile from scratch. One challenge about our new location is stormwater runoff. There is a tremendous amount of impervious surface. A rain garden is one of the management techniques we plan to implement to address the stormwater. A rain garden acts like a miniature native forest by collecting, absorbing and filtering stormwater runoff from rooftops, driveways, patios and other areas that don’t allow water to soak in. Water that would otherwise carry pollutants directly to our streams. In our case, we are in the Grants Creek watershed. Rain gardens soak up 30 percent more water than an equivalent patch of lawn.

A rain garden, while sharing similarities with a regular perennial garden or mixed border, stands out with its unique design and purpose. It’s not just a visually appealing addition to any landscape, but also a powerful tool that absorbs and filters rain, preventing it from running off your property and down the storm drain. This unique feature is what makes a rain garden a fascinating and beneficial addition to any environment.

• Rain gardens have a ponding area, but they are not ponds. They often are planted with wetland plants, but they are not wetlands (although you can design a rain garden that mimics a wetland).
• The garden absorbs and filters rain that would otherwise run off your property and down the storm drain.
• Many plants in a rain garden might be native to the region and have extensive deep roots that help the garden absorb rain. Once established, these native plants do not need special attention. Non-native plants may be used as long as they are also non-invasive and pest-free, contributing to a rain garden’s diverse and sustainable ecosystem. A bowl-shaped dip in the garden holds the rain while it soaks into the soil. Some of the native plants we plan to use in our rain garden include bald cypress trees, Virginia sweetspire bush, buttonbush, cardinal flowers and blue flag iris.

Creating a rain garden involves careful preparation of the garden bed. In some cases, the bed is replaced to a depth of up to two feet, relieving soil compaction and ensuring the garden is capable of effectively absorbing water.

The Rowan County Master Gardener Volunteers are hosting a free seminar on water features and rain gardens, and Carolina Pondscape designer and owner Sherry Koontz Freeman will be the speaker. Register online at http:/go.ncsu.edu/rowanraingarden. This seminar is free and open to the public, but space is limited. The seminar is on Tuesday, Sept. 10, from 1-2 p.m. at the Rowan County Agriculture Center, 2727 Old Concord Road in Salisbury. Sherry will share her expertise in designing ponds and water features for large and small landscapes and tips for creating rain gardens for your yard, too. Don’t forget the Rowan County Fair entries are due Sept. 3 by 5 p.m. go to http://rowancounty.fairentry.com to enter your exhibits for the fair. Call the Extension office at 704-216-8970 if you need help or have questions.

Amy-Lynn Albertson is director of the Rowan County Extension.