Be the first in your neighborhood to harvest rainwater in your garden and elicit support and assistance from neighbors and community members. Businesses and homeowners throughout South Carolina are applying green solutions to wasteful erosion and runoff problems by using rain gardens.

Rain gardens are sunken plant communities that capture and absorb rainwater runoff from impervious surfaces like driveways, sidewalks, rooftops, and compacted lawns. The plants, soil and mulch of the garden work on site through physical, biological, and chemical processes to filter the rainwater of pollutants.

In May, the Carolina Children's Garden at the Clemson University Sandhill Research and Education Center in northeast Columbia installed a rain garden demonstration site at the entranceway to the garden. The new garden was installed to mitigate rainwater runoff and washout problems.

Hattie Monson, master gardener and project leader, designed the crescent- shaped depression and led a crew of volunteers through the process outlined below: • Locate the rain garden between the rainwater source and its destination. • Measure the site and draw the design with plant layout. • Prepare the depression at least six inches in depth by removing turf and adding compost. • Select native plants that can tolerate getting their "feet wet" for up to 24 hours but are also drought tolerant. (Muhly grass, swamp sunflower, monarda, rudbeckia, maidenhair fern, and nasturtium were donated by two local nurseries, Millcreek Greenhouses and Flower Power.) • Place layers of soaked newspaper around new plantings to add moisture and to suppress weeds. • Spread hardwood mulch around plants. • Water the garden.

2448-Hattie Monson designed the plan for the rain garden at the Carolina Children's Garden. Once established, the rain garden will need very little maintenance, especially if native plants are used. A rain garden adds an attractive plant community to your neighborhood, increases the amount of water filtering into the ground, helps protect streams and lakes from pollutants carried in runoff, and provides a habitat for bees, butterflies and beneficial insects.

Newspapers are a gardener's tool for weed suppression. Reason enough for a neighborhood garden party?

To initiate plans for a neighborhood rain garden party, Carolina Clear, a watershed education initiative of Clemson Extension has a New Rain Garden Manual available online at www.clemson. edu/carolinaclear.

Mary Nevins, natural resource agent for Richland County Clemson Extension Service and Carolina Clear, works with businesses, homeowners, youth, construction and development, and government on stormwater management practices.

Nevins can be reached at 865-1216x122.

After spreading hardwood mulch, the rain garden is watered. Master gardener Kathy Baptiste spreads soaked newspaper. Master gardener Sally Mullens adds nasturtium to the garden.