Think Spring, Think Gardening

Two increasingly popular gardening methods are green gardening and rain gardens. While benefiting the environment in several ways, these two types of gardens also yield healthy plants and vegetables and beautiful flowers.

Sometimes also referred to as organic gardening, green gardening saves soils and nearby water systems from the trauma of the chemicals and pesticides or fertilizers which are often used in traditional gardening. For some suggestions or tips, see our recommended reading list on green gardening.

A second kind of environmentally friendly garden is a rain garden. These gardens satisfy the dual purpose of growing pretty flowers and plants while also filtering potentially harmful runoff from getting into the watershed. One local rain garden is in Cross Plains at the Rosemary Garfoot Public Library, Wisconsin's first green library. For information on how to start your own rain garden, see our recommended reading list on rain gardens.

Photo credits: Top, Amy De Simone. Bottom, Cross Plains Public Library