Potential rain garden site

8 years ago

This is the front of the building where I work. Since this is a professional building, the garden will need to look professional and neat. It will also need to have a few, easy to identify, and easy to weed around plants as the maintenance will be completed by volunteers. The source of the runoff is the roof behind the garden which has no gutters.

Featured Answer

Tricia Jones

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

One thing to keep in mind with those volunteers - see if you can get pictures of what the plants look like as they emerge. Have a folder of some sort with a diagram of the planting plan, as well as pictures of the emerging plants and as they get bigger. And if there are common weeds in the area that they for sure what to pull, include those as well.

You may have already thought of this so I apologize if it seems elementary - i was reminded of it by a comment made during class today. I am a steward for a large rain garden - I appreciate having a copy of the planting plan and wish I also had a "baby plant" view. Maybe I'll create one this next year :^)

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Comments (11)

Susan Bryan
8 years ago
No gutters, hm? That makes it a bit wild and woolly. It is just difficult to see/find where the water already flows.

Is it pretty flat? Where does the water go now? Is there a basement? or is it on a slab?

Could you make the water flow to a linear rain garden that runs along the building, but at least 10 feet away from it? Would that work?

What are you thinking?
User
Original Author
8 years ago
Catie Wytychak came out to the site to help locate and design this garden. She thought a linear rain garden that runs along the building but is more than 10 feet away would work. I will need to figure out how to direct the water there as the area is pretty flat and I agree that I am not sure it will naturally flow there.

The building is slab on grade.
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Susan Bryan
8 years ago
Ok good! Catie knows her stuff, so follow her advice! But good to think about water flow too. :)
User
Original Author
8 years ago
Base map is below as well as a photo with the locations drawn on them. The 2 circles are areas where water pools when it rains. The gardens are small as maintenance will be minimal.
User
Original Author
8 years ago
I can't post the base map, so I will email it. Due to the fact that volunteers with minimal plant experience will be completing maintenance, would like to limit plants to 3-4 easily recognizable plants that should not be removed. Since the soils are clay, considering: Rose Mallow, Blue Flag Iris, Purple Coneflower, Swamp Milkweed.
Susan Bryan
8 years ago
Great! I like how you are thinking ahead to maintenance. Yes, those are all really good plants, easily recognizable by volunteers.
Susan Bryan
8 years ago
Good ideas! Thanks for all your hard work as a Steward Tricia! :)
User
Original Author
8 years ago
Tricia, thank you for the ideas!
Susan Bryan
7 years ago
www.MasterRainGardener.org
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
6 years ago
Are you limited only to perennials? If not, look at deciduous winterberry holly, Ilex verticillata. You will need females for berries and at least one male that blooms at the same time, but one male can easily play stud for a half dozen females and there are charts on line which tell you which females are fertilized by which males. IME they have healthy, fine-textured green foliage, and though flowers are insignificant, they make pollinators happy. The real beauty is from September through some time in January when the red berries glow again brown grass or white snow.