Rain Chain Phase I

We have been  planning to put in a rain chain off the back of the garage roof, but first we have to have somewhere for the water to go. We decided on a small reservoir and the runoff from the reservoir will make its way to a drain that leads to a dry well near the center of the back garden. I don't want any water to go in my neighbor's yard, that would be not be neighborly.

Phase I
Two weeks ago, I dug a foot wide trench seven feet long to a foot square dry-well about three feet deep. I ran a seven foot long, 4 inch diameter black corrugated pipe between the catch basin and the dry-well. I had cut perforations in the bottom of the drain pipe. I wanted some water to be dispersed along the way and some to go to the dry-well. The trench was lined with Landscape fabric with 4 inches of 3/4 gravel poured in before placing the black drain pipe. The Landscape fabric was overlapped over the top of the black drain pipe with another layer of Landscape fabric overlaid before back-filling the trench. The dry well was also lined with Landscape fabric around the added rocks.

This area may be covered with black plastic then gravel and have Alpines in troughs displayed.

Cap on vertical pipe will let me monitor ground water level.

I plan to surround the catch basin drain with a small concrete catchment area. Gravel will go down first, then a piece of hardware cloth and then concrete. I may use green concrete dye.

I placed a 4 inch PVC pipe vertically in the dry-well with a foot of stone at the bottom. I slid a landscape fabric sleeve over the PVC pipe and put about 2 inches of 3/4 inch gravel between the pipe and the sleeve. The PVC pipe terminated in a 4x4 inch of pressure treated wood cut into a pyramid shape and cut round on the opposite end to slip into the pipe. The initial purpose for the pyramid on the pipe was so I could pound the pipe into the ground, but I later changed my plans. I perforated the pipe with 1/4 inch holes on 4 sides.

The top of the drain pipe starts out 2 inches under the ground level and slopes away to where it meets up with the vertical PVC pipe in the dry-well. The top of the drain pipe at the dry well is about 6 inches underground. The trench starts out a foot deep and ends fourteen inches deep.

Phase II will involve putting in the reservoir and a short stream to the catch basin.
Phase III will include putting a gutter on the garage and hanging the rain chain.

The rain chain will drop the water into this reservoir, it is for a 1/2 whiskey barrel planter.

The plan is to put hardware cloth over the grid and put gravel over it so it will look as if the water is just falling to the ground. Flat rocks will cover edges of the reservoir and I may have a larger rock off the back with a waterfall. I have a second water pump which I purchased before I received a free fountain with working pump. I may cut the grate near the outlet so that the water doesn't flow over the grate. If the head of the pump is high enough I may run a tube to the rain chain so we can enjoy the rain chain even if it is not raining. The grate will also prevent animals from falling into the reservoir, depending on how things look, removing the grate and just having a pond is an option.

The water from the outlet will pass through this gargoyle on its way to the catch basin. The outlet needs to be 4 inches above the base of the gargoyle which means less digging for me. After all the ground work is done I will plant Japanese Iris and Hostas along the back of the reservoir and some smaller shade plants along the stream.

Fall Blooms

Still have zucchini coming in, only had one eggplant so far, but there are 2 others which will be ready shortly. The tomatoes were great this year, not a large harvest for the large tomatoes, but they tasted great, red and juicy. The plumbs were more abundant and were used mostly in cooking.

Flowers from around the yard.

These I grew from a promotional packet of seeds that came in the mail. I hope they are perennial, thinking of putting it in the front garden. I can't remember what they are.

I didn't think these were coming up, I cleared away some of the other foliage so the area would get more light and they would be easier to see and they are really popping up now. Usually the Peonies have already died back by now.

A Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica), a new addition. I moved the Witch Hazel to the center of the back of the yard and this is to the right of that.

Russian Sage in bloom, next to the Red Twig Dogwood surrounded by the Peonies.

Fall blooming crocus, I have some blue ones in the backyard, but that have not bloomed yet. They get more shade.

Four O'clocks, I had these since I worked at Bell Labs. One of the Techs gave me a jar of seeds, I didn't even have to trade my cow for them. Every year you get different colors. Such fun.

Summer Harvest

Japonica Senanense, a dwarf variety from a mountainous region of Japan. I'm very happy with the way this planting has turned out. As I've said before I am not a fan of Sedum, but they are useful in certain places and in this case works beautifully.

I think it has a Shibui Japanese Aesthetic, a balance of simplicity and complexity. Maybe the rock (Mountain) could be a bit larger. The hand-made bowl has black sand incorporated in it.

Eggplants are finally starting to show up, most of the season I had cucumbers in the planter as well which were shading out the Eggplants. I grew tired of cucumber salad and the plants were looking poorly so I yanked them out.

We have had zucchini since early July, by mid August we have usually lost some or all of the plants due to the main stem rotting. I have spent some time removing leaves close to the ground and also old and damaged leaves. Don't know if this helped. I try to pick the zucchini when they are about 6-8 inches long, but sometimes you miss checking for a day or two and you are confronted by baseball bats.  Tomatoes just started ripening about 2 weeks ago so now we have some nice produce to work with.

Hostas are blooming, I bought a dwarf cultivar this year, it is currently hidden in the vegetable garden waiting for me to complete the rain chain garden, which never got started because it was either too hot or too wet to dig trenches for the drainage pipes to handle the overflow from the small pond which will sit at the bottom of the rain chain.

Lost just a few plants over the summer, the second Genetian, an Erodium(I have a second still alive) and a Lewisia. The Campenula were eaten down to the stems, but look to be surviving, I'm guessing slugs.