Water News Archive

Landscape Design Practices

Install rain gardens in locations where they catch and temporarily hold rainwater.
Use natural drainage patterns, site grading, berms (planted earth mounds) or other methods to channel rainwater away from impervious surfaces (i.e. pavement) onto planted areas such as grass swales, filter strips, or rain gardens.
Plant and maintain healthy plant cover, especially on slopes to stabilize the soil and prevent erosion. Select plants adapted to the site and maintenance level.

Landscapes which are sustainably designed, installed and managed conserve water, lower the rate and volume of runoff water from rain, snowmelt and irrigation, and help reduce the amount of pollutants reaching surface water. Water related benefits achieved with sustainable residential, business, and community landscapes include:

What is stormwater? It's water from rain or melting snow. Watch the video and learn about rain water runoff and why it can be a problem.

Publications and Resources

Nebraska Extension Educators and Specialists have developed many resources to help you use water more efficiently and help keep it clean. Nebraska Extension has also developed materials to help youth learn about water and how to save it and keep it clean. Read on for a listing of all of these great resources for your landscape

How and Why to Separate Turf from Ornamentals

Regardless of the mix, the goal for green minded gardeners is to grow, plant and care for healthy landscape plants and turf. One of the most important factors in the success of these endeavors is getting to know specific needs of the plant material and how they can be combined effectively in a landscape without compromising the needs of each component.

Do you have trees growing right in the middle of your lawn? Do you swear under your breath every time you mow, having to trim around them and practice some fancy footwork trying to maneuver the mower around the trunk? If so, perhaps it's time to redesign your landscape, separating the grass and all of the other plants. If you are building a new home, or moving to one with little or no landscaping, you can avoid this maintenance nightmare by simply thinking of turf as a part of the landscape unto itself.

Once good soils are in place, create water zones. Water zones are distinct sections of your property which contain plants with similar water needs. Group ornamentals into H-M-L zones in the landscape. Keep each distinct plant group by themselves – set watering minutes per zone accordingly.

Nutritional Value for the Landscape

Processing lawn clippings and tree leaves into the lawn provides nutritional value as well as reduces waste. Generally, turf clippings contain 6-7% nitrogen, 0.5 to 1.0% phosphorous and 2-4% potassium; when returned to the lawn, they can account for a fourth of the lawn's fertilizer applications each year.

Water should never be applied at a rate faster than it can be absorbed by the soil. Soil properties that govern water infiltration (movement of water into the soil) are texture and structure.

Water News Archive

Landscape Design Practices

Sustainable Landscapes

Stormwater

Publications and Resources

How and Why to Separate Turf from Ornamentals

Separate Turf and Ornamentals

Water Zones

Nutritional Value for the Landscape

Building Soils