The Real Dirt

Last week in this column we suggested creating a swale in your home garden to capture rain and practice effective water conservation. If you have been inspired to start planning a swale, you may be looking forward to the fun of selecting plants for this garden feature.

Whew! At last we are getting some serious rain in the North State this season. We all agree that rainwater is preciousso why do we try so hard to move it off our property? On city and suburban lots, we channel rainwater from roof gutter downspout to street gutter storm drain as directly as possible.

For 47 years the Butte Environmental Council (BEC) has been instrumental in initiating, supporting, and teaching sound environmental practices in our area.

If the past few years have taught us anything, we must now admit that disasters happen close to home. Wildfires, drought, flood and the Covid-19 pandemic have given us many opportunities to help our neighbors and reevaluate our assumptions about where to turn in times of need.

Note: This is the third in a three-part series on native plants that have proven successful on the author's property along the Lindo Channel in Chico. The previous articles discussed large trees, small trees and large shrubs.