Backyard Conversation
Connecting Community + Conservation
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Welcome to Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District's Backyard Conversation newsletter! Each month, we will share a conservation topic from a more personal viewpoint for our readers and residents. Thanks for reading! | |
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Green Infrastructure
Adding Greenery While Protecting Water Quality
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When people hear "stormwater" they tend to think about storm drains and stormwater pipes. This is traditionally how we have managed stormwater. This is called gray infrastructure. Gray infrastructure—tunnels, sewers, and treatment plants—has come to be the central approach to capturing and discharging stormwater downstream, but nature-based solutions—also known as green infrastructure—can play an important role, too.
In the next 10 years, rainfall in Franklin County is predicted to increase up to 30%. This will create more stormwater runoff, leading to flooding that impairs the functionality, health, and viability of our communities. The Franklin County Risk Assessment ranks floods as the highest-rated threat to residents, disproportionately impacting underserved and at-risk neighborhoods. As Central Ohio experiences a surge in population and significant development by investors, the region will need to build more infrastructure that protects communities from the increased risk of flooding. One of the solutions is green infrastructure.
About Green Infrastructure
From rain gardens to urban tree canopy, green infrastructure uses landscape features to capture and infiltrate rainwater where it falls. Green infrastructure reduces stormwater runoff, the leading source of urban water pollution. When properly incorporated and maintained, green infrastructure supports stormwater capture and water quality improvement while also providing broader community benefits.
Some examples of green infrastructure include:
- Rain gardens & bioswales
- Native plants and trees
- Rain barrels
- Green roofs
- Stormwater ponds and wetlands
Economical Benefits of Green Infrastructure
Franklin Soil and Water and City of Columbus recently worked with Earth Economics to estimate the values of benefits of green infrastructure locally. In Franklin County, one acre of rain garden creates up to $74,000 in co-benefits annually. How? In economics, everything can be assigned a monetary value based on complicated economist formulas and data. These are the ways that green infrastructure provides public benefit:
- Avoided cost management by using green instead of gray infrastructure: $64,170
- Neighborhood scenery and greenspace: $5,210
- Biodiversity and habitat for wildlife: $1,410
- Flooding reduction and regulation: $1,010
- Avoided emissions from using gray infrastructure: $810
- Reducing noise pollution: $540
- Carbon sequestration: $180
| Green Infrastructure on a Neighborhood Scale | |
Green Infrastructure on a City Scale | |
Rain Gardens: A Green Infrastructure Practice for Residents, Organizations, and Businesses Alike | | |
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Rain gardens are specialized gardens designed to capture rainwater and keep it on site by soaking it into the ground. They are shaped like a bowl in the ground, dug about 6 inches or so below grade, allowing the water to go into the rain garden and collect there.
There is a common misconception that rain gardens are standing water or a swamp or prone to mosquitoes. Rain gardens are not constant standing water. With a functional rain garden, the site's soil must drain within 24-48 hours. Rain gardens are not suitable in poorly draining soil that doesn't drain within 24-48 hours. Because of this, rain gardens are not suitable everywhere. Additionally, rain garden plants must be able to tolerate both wet and dry conditions. Their whole purpose is to capture and soak in water within a short time period.
We have lots of resources and even rebates for rain gardens for residents in some participating communities. If you are interested in installing a rain garden, reach out to us to speak with our rain garden experts.
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Franklin Soil and Water's Grants
We have 3 grant programs that are currently accepting. Because our funding comes from multiple sources, we have different grant programs with similar but different goals and target audiences. Find an overview, application dates, and the link below.
If you're interested in learning about or applying for a grant, watch the recording of our information session! We covered 3 grant programs: Conservation Mini Grants, Community Business Rebates, and Columbus Tree Assistance Program.
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Grant Application Windows
February 1 - March 31, 2025
Columbus Tree Assistance Program (TAP)
CLOSED
Franklin County Urban Ag Critical Infrastructure Grant
Conservation Mini Grants
Community Beyond Backyards Grants
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Grant Information Session Recording
Columbus Tree Assistance Program starts at 18:00.
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Shop Our Tree Sale
Our annual spring tree and plant sale is open now! Place your orders by March 23. Please note, we might run out of certain species before then, so order sooner rather than later.
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Available Plants for Rain Gardens | |
Rain Garden Perennial Kits | |
We have 2 rain garden perennial plant kits available this year:
- Rain Garden Kit - Contains a selection of different color rain garden plants.
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Purple Rain Garden Kit - Contains a selection of forbs which bloom in shades of purple, blue, and lavender.
Both kits are plants that will perform well in short-term flooding and temporary drought conditions – prefer sun/part shade.
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A Rain Garden Shrub: Buttonbush | |
This shrub is broad, rounded, and somewhat open, reaching 6-12’ tall and wide. Easily grown in frequently wet spots and ideal for rain gardens, wetlands, wet meadows, or stream bank installations. Many ball-shaped, fragrant, creamy white flowers bloom June-August. Pollinator magnet. Can be cut back near to the ground in early spring to revitalize or maintain size and shape. Tolerates wind and compacted soils.
Our buttonbush is sold in a bundle 5 live stake plants. If you're new to planting live stakes, check out this guide.
| An Edible Tree with White Spring Flowers: Serviceberry | |
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The white flowers of the Downy Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) bloom in early spring and turn to red berries in summer that turn purple or black as they ripen. Commonly called juneberries, these edible berries can be used in jams, jellies, and pies. This large shrub/small tree reaches 15-25' in height, prefers full sun to partial shade, and is tolerant of a range of soil conditions.
Our Downy Serviceberry is sold in a bundle of 5 bareroot plants.
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March Yardening Tips from Lonnie the Garden Gnome
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Spring is finally near! Start dreaming your 2025 garden plans. Native plants, rain gardens, rain barrels. Check out our resources at CommunityBackyards.org to start dreaming and planning your yard work with conservation in mind.
- Save the garden clean up for after the spring solstice. Leave the leaves, seed heads, and stems. This provides winter interest plus food and habitat for wildlife. Remember to keep the leaves and debris out of storm drains.
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Spring flooding is quite common in our area. As the snow melts, the ground is saturated, and then it tends to rain quite a bit on top of that, causing localized flooding. The good news is that most spring flooding tends to recede within 24-48 hours of a big rain event. If you notice it tends to stay longer than 24-48 hours in one particular part of your yard, you might have poorly draining soil or a low spot. If you need help with drainage concerns, reach out to us via phone 614-486-9613 or send us an email, and one of our drainage experts will get back to you within 48-72 hours. Take some pictures during the flood events to help us see what's going on!
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| Are you excited for spring? | | | |
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Mikaela Mohr
Outreach Program Coordinator
Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District
1404 Goodale Blvd. Suite 100, Columbus, OH 43212
p: 614-486-9613 | e: mmohr@franklinswcd.org
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