Tom Watson is a project manager for King County and is the Seattle Times columnist of "EcoConsumer." Every month, Tom will offer smart and easy tips on how you, too, can become an eco-consumer.  

I've been hearing more about rain gardens lately, and seeing more websites about them. But amazingly, it seems like most of the interest in rain gardens is in other parts of the country, not here in Seattle. What's up with that? This is Seattle - We should own the rain garden concept.

So what is a rain garden anyway? It's actually quite simple - just a scooped-out, slightly sunken area in your front or back yard, planted with deep-rooted native plants and grasses. It should be placed in an area where it will receive runoff, from your roof for example, that otherwise would go down the sidewalk or street into the storm sewer, or into a pipe from your downspout into the storm sewer.

What's cool is that a rain garden doubles as a landscape garden. Not only are these gardens practical here in the Northwest, they are also aesthetically pleasing.

I'm sure there must be some around here that I haven't seen, but so far I have only seen them used once in this area - at the new "green" High Point development in West Seattle. They sit right in the front yard, along the street, and look great.

I recently chatted with my friend and gardening expert Scott Conner about rain gardens. Scott managed nurseries for years and now gives classes and hosts a weekly radio show, "Gardening in the Northwest," on KPTK-AM. Scott also loves this concept, and said many Northwest native plants should do well in a rain garden. Specifically, he suggested salal, serviceberry, Douglas spirea, salmonberry, Oregon grape, holodiscus discolor (also known as oceanspray) and evergreen huckleberry.

A rain garden offers many benefits, according to the Rain Garden Network. Rain gardens can:  Filter runoff pollution; recharge local groundwater; conserve water; improve water quality; protect rivers and streams; remove standing water in your yard; reduce mosquito breeding; increase beneficial insects; reduce the potential of flooded basements; create habitat for birds and butterflies; reduce garden maintenance; enhance "sidewalk appeal"; and increase garden enjoyment. The National Wildlife Federation even lists rain gardens as one of the top 10 ways gardeners can combat global warming.

The rain is on its way. Go ahead - embrace it! Plant yourself a rain garden.

For more EcoConsumer resources from King County, visit www.KCecoconsumer.com.

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