Article on Rain Garden design

11 years ago

Hope this is the right forum:
This Philadelphia landscaper was highlighted in the NYTimes on the subject of rain garden design. The slideshow is all of plants, there's no photo of her design. But the description in the article explains a lot, with good links.

Hope some others will find this useful. It's not applicable where I live, but seemed like such a good article, I wanted to share it.

Here is a link that might be useful: A Rain Garden That Even the Neighbors Seem To Like

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Comments (4)

CEFreeman
11 years ago
I'm in process of redesigning some of my gardens, expanding, changing, whatever.

In a place where there was ZERO shade, I've noticed that after 10 years, strangely enough my trees have grown to a point that they're providing some of that! Who'da thunk it?

So this is a lovely idea and really beautiful plant choices! I wish she were here to talk about this with me! Hmm. Maybe I'll Google Ms. Myers!

I admit I'd love to see a picture of the design, too! I'm installing raised Hugelkultur beds (Thanks Herbal!) and now because of this, I'm trying to figure out how to direct my downspouts towards them.

I have a very flat roof. I also live at the downside of a swale. You can see the way the water runs down my drive in waves, by the layers of mulch/wood chips it drags down the drive. It really looks like what the beach waves leave in the sand, only chunkier!

I cannot believe poke weed is encouraged. But for the birds, sure. I'm glad she isn't telling us (non-native) poison ivy is good for then, too. I'd have to kill myself.

Thanks for sharing!
cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
11 years ago
I would also love to see the design.

Pokeweed? Oh my, I am always trying to get rid of that. Perhaps I should rethink. Hmmm...

Love the idea of the pipes going from the downspout to the garden. My DH said it could create a channel though. Wonder how she disperses strong streams of water. One of our galloping gardeners has actually destroyed the bottoms of several downspouts in the back yard. Seems those pesky chipmunks try to elude her by running into them. Sigh.
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CEFreeman
11 years ago
I have just built a raised bed with the bottom row of lumber not quite at the ground. The lay of the land has rainwater gushing in waves (leaves marks like waves at the beach) across that area of the yard. My evil plan was to let it go into the dug-out bottom of the garden (Hugelkultur) and water it.

In another bed I'm going to build, I plan that black tubing from the downspout, buried, to the bed. In theory, it can't go wrong!

Poke weed? Ok, God, no.
agardenstateof_mind
11 years ago
In my training on rain gardens, we learned that often "rip rap", large stones laid loosely, are used to slow and disperse the water flowing into a rain garden. From observation of a few rain gardens receiving a considerable volume of water, it does seem to work. Might take some work to make it attractive in a residential setting, though.