The Tennessee Flood of 2010 Part 1

As I’m sure you are aware by now (especially if you’re in Tennessee) that we have experienced record levels of rainfall with subsequent flooding this past weekend. Unfortunately our internet connection has been down until now and this is the first opportunity I’ve had to post since Friday. Things could have been worse – much worse. I want to say before I start this post that we are very lucky. Our home is situated partway up a very large hill and our house is in very little danger of ever flooding. Let’s just say that if my house flooded TN would be in big trouble. That being said our yard can’t handle 8 inches of rain in two days – it drains – just not fast enough. The backyard became a mess.  Our issues don’t even begin to compare to the issues those people further north and west of us had over the weekend.  Nashville totaled over 13 inches of rain while other areas went higher. This was a record setting weekend for Tennessee and already we’ve set a record amount of rainfall for the month – on day 2!

People in Nashville and low lying areas all over Middle Tennessee have lost homes, businesses, pets, livestock, and in the worst of cases family. Historic landmarks and tourist attractions are underwater including the Opryland Hotel, LP Field (Titans Stadium), and many other locations.  On the news we saw all manner of flooding. In one case a portable building floated into an 18 wheeler and disintegrated on Interstate 24. Cars floated across roads and landed into homes and I even saw a shed floating – in tact I might add – downstream. Government buildings, shopping centers, farms, and whole communities have been swallowed by the water. It’s still difficult getting around as roads are washed out or flooded, bridges aren’t stable, and even railroad tracks have buckled. Nashville is in water saving mode now because one of the two water treatment centers is underwater which has contaminated the drinking water from that plant. The one good thing is that it’s over and we have a dry week ahead to help evaporate some of this water.  

I’m going to show you some pictures in this post of our garden and yard during the flood but please keep in mind that what we experienced in my yard was nothing compared to what others experienced. I would highly encourage you to find ways to help those who have lost their homes. I suspect food banks and various agencies would be the best places to start (The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee). Displaced families are in great need right now so if you can please help!

Our backyard issues aren’t necessarily because of the land itself but because of the drainage in our community. The drains from several streets are funneled into the low lying area in our adjoining neighbor’s backyard which then flows into a ditch in the very back of our property. The ditch directs the water to a lake that sits in the middle of our community and empties into various streams which eventually end up in the Duck River. The ditch in the back is nearly 6 feet deep but fills up from time to time with large amounts of rainfall. Never have I seen this much rain in such a short time. There was so much rain this weekend that the ditch could not contain all the water and the back of our yard began to hold a layer of water about 2-3 inches deep.  It also meant that water flowed into my shed but fortunately my mowers sit up high and they were not effected.

The waters lifted mulch from various garden beds and nearly pulled out plants from the ground. I’ll be going through the yard soon and repairing what I can. I have a plan to prevent water from bothering the shed in the future but I don't have time to get to it just yet. At least the garden shed drains very quickly when soaked!

Tomorrow I'll have up a couple short videos I took of the flooding in action from our yard. After inspecting the damage I can say that it is very minimal for which I'm very thankful. Unfortunately others were not so lucky this weekend.

When it Rains it...

Pours, and pours, and pours, and pours, and pours to a total of 6 inches of rain within 48 hours. And there is more to come! I have never seen this much rain in such a short period of time since we moved to this house.  During one period within 45 minutes we received more than 2 inches of rain. Way too much rain to come at once. I like the rain spread out over multiple days to eventually reach the same amount, definitely not a deluge. At one point I was beginning to consider building an ark. What made the flooding worse was that the ground was already completely saturated from several days of intermittent rain.

So how bad is it? Take a look at our own personal monsoon.

Here's where the flooding of our yard began, in the street. The rain follows a drain pipe into our neighbor's yard and down through a culvert into the adjoining property areas.

Here's the culvert full of rain water. Imagine how beneficial all that water would be if we could save it for July and August!

Then the water comes our way. I took this picture from our front porch overlooking the garden corridor. You can even see the 'Forest Pansy' redbud standing tall before the flooding rains.

Here is a look up our newly formed river. The tree on the left is next to our house, you can see how close the water is but even with 4.66 inches of rain in one day it never reached our house.

This is where I started to get a little concerned. These small evergreens are the hemlocks that will eventually be a privacy screen. All around them is mulch that has probably been washed downstream. I've actually built this area up considerably and it is getting a substantially lower amount of flooding than it could have. I think I may need a levee!

Now we're looking out at the backyard. There is a small berm between our yard and the neighbor's backyard that keeps the flood at bay.  98% of that river is on someone else's property but the edges of the river wash away the mulch I've placed around our trees. There will be a lot of cleanup needed when things dry out.

The tree in this picture is a maple and there is a Japanese dappled willow (Salix integra) behind it. Both should be able to handle the flooding. At this point the water was a good 15 feet into our yard, the most its ever traveled into our yard.

The river now flows to the back of our property. The stand of trees to the right end of the river is on our land while the lake forming is next door. There is another drainage culvert on the other side of that stand of trees that takes the water downhill toward a community lake.

Here's a closer look at the same scene. The weather report said this morning that we'll have rain and thunderstorms for several more days. There is a stationary front sitting right on top of us that is directing all the rain through Tennessee.  I'm a little concerned about the vegetable garden but hopefully the raised beds are draining well and aren't getting too soggy. They will be ready to see the sun whenever it comes out and so will I!

Don't forget to vote in the 48 Hour Blog Challenge. With 56 votes counted this morning I'm right in the middle of the pack and I definitely need some persistent voters to keep on voting. Spread the word!

Nature's Water Features

Scenes from nature often can offer inspiration and ideas for people to imitate. Here are some of nature's water features.

From the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show 2011

I think it's important for anyone interested in gardening to visit the local garden shows every now and then. Nashville's Lawn and Garden Show was this past weekend and I stopped up to pay a visit. Overall it was a nice show but I have to say I wasn't as impressed with it as I was last year. The display gardens of last year seemed more creative and unique while the vendor selection was a little better. Most likely it's because of our current lackluster economy. Despite that fact there were still a few things that I found worthy of mentioning - and a for taking a few pictures!

The Gardens of Babylon had this demonstration garden set up for aquaponics. Aquaponics is a growing system that uses fish and plants together to sustain each other. The fish water feeds the plants which helps them to grow.

Espalier displays could be seen in several areas. Espalier is a very cool pruning technique but I have to say it takes more time to do it properly than I would be willing to spend. It would definitely be worthwhile for someone with just a little gardening area who wanted to grow fruit trees.

There were lots of water features.

Many of the display gardens featured edible plants. In this picture there are several kinds of spring vegetables.

Need a new ornament to add to your front garden? Why not try this big head made from carved wood? Bring that Easter Island feel to your garden! I would put one in but then my neighbors would just say that I had a big head...

If you're crazy about eights you might try growing your vegetables in a figure 8 planting bed! Who 8 the garden?

Hydrangeas were popular at the show. So were the evergreens.

I liked how this garden with the Japanese maple spilled out from the stone bed and poured out the tulips.  The stone walkway was a nice feature as well.

Of all the water features I thought the following two were the most creative. This first one was made from several hypertufa leaf castings put together into a multi-tiered fountain.

This other water feature was actually built into a rustic table. The water spilled out from the side of the table into a small pool with a few water plants.

It was a good show but not as strong as in the past. When I go to a garden show I expect to see something new, something creative, or something very unique and I really didn't get that feeling this year. If you want to see a list of the display gardens and who made them you should check out the display garden page.

What was the most unique garden display you've observed at a garden show?

Keeping and Growing Water Lilies

Water gardening is a subject that I have very little knowledge of but thought many readers might enjoy learning about so I asked Mark Best of Garden Pond Advice to write a guest post on water plants. Water gardening is not a new subject but it is becoming increasingly popular in the everyday backyard garden. I hope you enjoying reading Mark's information about water lilies! ~ Dave

Water lilies, (Nymphaea) have been engaging the imaginations of people for thousands of years. They originate in the dark mud of a pond or lake and rise to exquisite blossoms with beautiful colours for several days before receding back into the depths. In centuries past, they were only seen in palaces and botanical gardens but today you can have their glory in your own back garden.

They come in two types, hardy water lilies and tropical water lilies. Hardy water lilies have been given that name for a reason. They are tough and easy to grow because they need almost no attention by the gardener and continue to bloom all summer. They are day bloomers, depending on the temperature of the water, sunlight and time of year. Just be sure to prune the dead leaves and flowers. Tropical water lilies need more care but are worth it. They bloom in brighter colours and at night, but they need a constant water temperature of 70 degrees F and the tubers have to be taken from the water and stored for the winter.

In a wide and shallow lily basket, which will be put in the bottom of your pond, place the soil. Line the basket with hessian so the soil doesn’t leak out and foul the water. The soil mix should be one part sand, three parts heavy soil, not light potting mix, you can buy this ready made from all good aquatic outlets. Put enough gravel for a 1 – 2 inch covering on top to keep the soil from rising out of the pot. Plant the tuber along the side of the pot with the growing tip pointing towards the center of the pot and cover it with the gravel. Now it is ready to be put into 18 to 30 inches of water in your pond, but ensure that you can see the plant, if you cant see it, it isn’t getting enough light! If the leaf stems are short place the plant on bricks so it is visible, then lower it slowly as it grows.

Water lilies need at least six hours of full sunlight and calm water. If you have a small waterfall make sure the plants are not near it and the leaves are not being splashed with water. You need to feed your water lilies if you want them to bloom. One way is commercial pond pellets which work well and only need to be given once a month; one tablet in each quarter of the pond. Poke them into the soil in the pot and fill the hole so they stay in the soil. It’s best to do this after the water has become warm and the leaves have started showing. Packing compost into the bottom of the pot is also a good way to feed them but you need to make sure it is compacted well, at least an inch think, then cover it with the soil. Sometimes it leaches into the water and will help algae grow, but this should clear up as soon as the water gets warm in the spring.

Crown rot is a possible disease that will spoil your water lilies. Prevention is the best remedy because once it starts, it is almost impossible to stop. It will help prevent the disease if the plants are fed well and the dead leaves and flowers are removed, including any soft spots on the tubers and roots. You can also soak them in a separate tub, in a solution of 4 – 6 Tbsp potassium permanganate in 12 - 13 gallons of water for 1 – 2 hours. Cull or remove any diseased plant before it spreads to the others.

Mark Best writes articles that help people to build a Fantastic Garden Pond of their own. For all aspects of pond life and down to earth Garden Pond Advice pay him a visit!