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. . . Printer version: Gardens grow with the flow Page 2 of3 Developing cities should jump on the opportunity to include rain gardens in their plans, said Fred Rozumalski, a landscape architect for Barr Engineering. "To do it from the onset is going to save a lot of money and be more effective," he said. "Especially up there in the north metro where there's a ton of development going on, it's a good idea." Maplewood realized the effectiveness in 1996 when the city, along with the University of Minnesota and the Ramsey Washington Metro Watershed District, did a rain garden pilot project. It turned out that the two-block stretch of street with the native landscaping had little to no runoff. Now every time Maplewood does street reconstruction, rain gardens are included. The city constructs them and provides the plants. All that homeowners have to do is plant and maintain the gardens. About one-third of the residents, including Lynne Cooper, have opted for the new landscaping on a portion of their land. Cooper was so fond of rain gardens that she wanted one that was 70 feet by 20 feet large, enough to fill about half of her front lawn. "It made the neighborhood a nicer place to be," she said ofthe rain garden project. "It's more attractive, and there's more variety instead of just having flat front yards with maybe a tree or two," she said. While Cooper created her own yard plan, Maplewood provides seven design options that residents can choose from. Even though the landscaping is easy and contained, it's important to do your research, said Chris Cavett, assistant city engineer for Maplewood. This year the Rice Creek Watershed District is helping make it easy. The district last week launched a program called One Stop Shopping to Restore Your Yard and Shore, which provides resources to homeowners. Education on how to design the gardens and how effective they are is the reason rain gardens have taken off in the past few years, said Doug Mensing, a senior ecologist with Applied Ecological Services, a consulting firm. Also, state and federal requirements have pushed people toward the natural investment, Cavett said. That might be part ofthe reason cities such as Washington, D.C., and Portland are blossoming with rain gardens. "It seems kind of ironic that we grade the ground so efficiently to drain and then put irrigation systems in," Cavett said. "This is just kind of getting back to nature. It's what occurs with Mother Nature." -FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information on the Rice Creek Watershed District's One-Stop Shopping to Restore Your Yard and Shore Program, go to Landscape Alternatives in Roseville, Lebens Floral at Old Town Market in Hugo, Linder's Garden Center in St. Paul, Rice Creek Gardens in Blaine or www.ricecreek.org. Or go to www._ci.1l1aplewQQd.illn.1Js.Ontherightsideisapublicworksbox.Click on Maplewood http://www.startribune.comldynamic/story . php ?template=print_ a&story=53 683 57 4/26/2005