Rain Chains

I got to lead another class at Lauritzen Gardens this weekend and really enjoyed the experience. I've been involved with plenty in the past but this was probably the most interactive group I've ever had. The class was about small water features, such as Pondless, Disappearing Fountains, Rain Chains, and container water features. Thank you to those that attended.

Rain Chains have probably had the most recent interest between the class and the Home & Garden Show in Omaha last weekend. (Hence no post last week) They are really grabbing a lot of attention recently and I was wanting to address them in this post.

Rain Chains are ancient (a few hundred years old at least) Japanese down spouts. These are very beautiful downspouts that are links alone or with baskets/cups in between the links. Commonly made of copper, but not mandatory. If you're a regular HGTV or other home show watcher you've probably at least seen them once before.


The main thing I wanted to touch on with these items is that they are not fully contained down spouts. Depending on how your landscape works they are an excellent to "a little work necessary" accessory to you house/landscape. Since they are not completely enclosed there are some considerations to take into account.


They will splash and you will need to consider some type of diversion for the water. The point of downspouts is to get the water away from the house, so with an open design they don't really accomplish the main purpose. This isn't necessarily a problem. If you already, or are considering, rain water capturing this isn't a major issue. A large barrel can catch a large amount, at least on a one story setup. If you do not have a rain barrel, I'd consider doing a rain garden or bog in the immediate area. A little liner and you can create a moist area for capturing and filtering the water from the roof. Also if you are more concerned about diversion, you can still slope the area into a drain tile and direct it away from the foundation.

The other option is using one as a fountain. This does take some thought also, and will need a wide basin or lined area so you don't have to be refilling constantly. I'll be working on setting one up in the courtyard when it warms up so I hope to have pictures to better describe the process soon.

I really like the possibilities with the rainchains and am going to be working with other ways to utilize them. I will also be looking into what type of alteration it would need to make pottery into a functional rain barrel. Hopefully not much, but I want to research before I start giving out ideas.

(Pictures from Rainchains.com)

Bubbling Rocks

I was looking at my analytics page for my website and saw that 'bubbling rocks' is the number one search topic for people that click on my page. I thought these had waned in popularity, but apparently not. So, lets discuss the options.

First there are the natural boulders that can be drilled and turned into a bubbling rock or Moses rock. They are often the most eye catching, but often take heavy equipment and some knowledge to create. I enjoy them the most, but they are a bit of an undertaking. A lot of rock yards will have the equipment to drill any piece you would like. Around Omaha the going rate is about $75 per foot to get them drilled.



Basalt columns are a great option also. They are often more formal, and quite heavy, but they can add a great touch to a formal garden. Also possible indoors, but a basin is necessary or some extensive handy work. Basalt is very dense, and since rock is sold by the pound, these features can add up rather quickly.


Artifical bubbling rocks are another option. In the past I have never carried this type of fountain because, well, they looked artificial. Fortunately there are a handful of companies out there that make realistic rocks, but they can be pricey. The main advantage for this type of feature is that they are at least relatively mobile. Even a large piece can often be moved with a dolly or some type of cart.


Like disappearing fountains and pondless featuers, bubbling rocks can be fit into just about any landscape and are only limited by your imagination. One big tip I have about these features are to build the basin as big as possible so you aren't refilling constantly. There will be splash! Often times I will create a sloped region outside of the basin that will funnel the splash back into the container. It doesn't catch all of it, but it does limit the water loss. A good rule of thumb is to make the basin 1.5 times wider than the feature is tall.

Spring is coming... I keep telling myself.

I think a lot of people have been struggling with the constant gray and extra snow of this winter. I know I have. I think this year everyone is going to try and get out there as soon as possible, and sometimes to their own detriment.

With that in mind I have a few things to keep in mind when your pond is coming out of it's winter slumber.

1. Don't get ahead of yourself and buy hyacinth and other tropical and floating plants too quickly. Even when it is relatively warm, they think it is freezing. Those dips in temperature during the night can wipe them out in no time.

2. Don't feed those fish too soon. Even if they are active and begging for food, make sure that water is consistently above 50 degrees. If you get a late cold snap and they have been eating, they can get some digestive issues and even die.

3. You can place those hardy lilies and other low plants on pots to give them a bit of a kick start, just don't expect anything out of the tropical lilies or lotus until much later. Even though lotus are hardy, they behave more like a tropical early in the season.

4. If you have anyone do your maintenance for you, now would be a good time to get that lined up, or at least make sure they know you want to be on their list. When that first warm streak is here, your pond guy is already booked.

"How To" Programs

I feel like I need to give fair warning to all of you who watch the 48 hour miracle makeover shows on TV. I don't know enough about home renovation, or certain types of 'hardscaping' to make a blanket statement on all makeover shows... but I can say there are very few I have seen that put a water feature in the landscape that I would recommend.

I realize that a lot of these shows focus on the drama of the makeover and that makes them more interesting to the casual viewer. But if you are looking for quality info on how to install a water feature on your own, BEWARE! Most of these projects would be leaking in a matter of days or weeks, and I wouldn't give a 6 month guarantee on almost any of them.

Editing and time restraints take out a lot of specific steps that are necessary to know about. I strongly recommend talking to someone that is a specialist before tackling your own water feature project. There are a handful of books I think could take you step by step through the construction, but I am yet to see a tv program come even remotely close to a quality description.

Watch for ideas and questions, but please do not base your entire project on a 10 minute clip.