Coastal Factoid: We can all help minimize the problem of storm water runoff by planting rain gardens

"We can all help minimize the problem of storm water runoff by planting rain gardens -- 6 to 12-inch-deep depressions filled with native plants. ...The square footage of your rain garden should generally be about 20 percent that of the area draining into it. For example, if your roof covers 800 square feet, a rain garden designed to collect all of the roof's runoff should cover 160 square feet. To capture runoff most efficiently, a rain garden should be longer than it is wide, and aligned perpendicular to the slope." - from the Greentips April 2009 online newsletter of the Union of Concerned Scientists. Also see Surfrider's Ocean Friendly Gardens web section.

Garden attendance grows with visitors interested in drought-tolerant landscaping ideas

The Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College is simply amazing and a beacon of hope in our highly populated slice of semi-arid desert.

From Sign On San Diego:

The garden at Cuyamaca College in Rancho San Diego has been seeing a 69 percent increase in visitors since July as more San Diego County residents seek ways to make their backyards more drought-tolerant, said Executive Director Marty Eberhardt.

“San Diego is going to have to change its whole look,” she said. “It's not something we need to be afraid of. It's something we can embrace.”

It's the only water conservation garden in San Diego County and has received national recognition as a pioneer extolling water conservation in the Western United States.

Cheers to the Water Conservation Garden!

Click Here for the full signonsandiego.com story.