Hello! My name is Melissa/Mel. My family moved to Ann Arbor a bit over a year ago and we've spent this past year just seeing what would "come up" in our yard. Lots of non-native plants and shrubs so we are looking to change that (and have removed many already). I'm taking the self-paced online class.

Class One

We want to transform our front yard, starting this spring, by installing two rain gardens. The first spot marked in the photo is about 12 feet from the front of our house and it collects standing water from the roof and the nearest downspout after any rain. The second spot is closer to the curb and we aren't sure yet if we'll grade the yard or run a pipe. The markings are not to scale ;)

As for the rest of the yard, we are looking to get rid of the patchy grass and do some flagstones and creeping thyme/other ground cover. Excited to get started!

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Class Two

Waiting for Miss Dig to come out before we decide if we'll revise locations. I worry about being too close to tree roots no matter where we are so we might move the second spot (which also acts as overflow) closer to the driveway/curb where there is already a natural slope downward.

As for the first spot, we are discussing running the downspout to it underground.

The part of the roof that impacts the front yard is 380 sq ft. The percolation rate was approximately 14 hours.

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Class Three

Turns out we have a gas line running right through where we wanted to do a second rain garden so we'll just do one rain garden for now :)

Below is the draft base sheet.

The plants I'm wanting to include so far (I know I have to cut this):

- Indian Grass

- Rose Mallow

- Purple Coneflower

- Butterfly Milkweed

- Black-Eyed Susan

- Switch Grass or Fox Sedge

- Kobold Blazing Star

- Canada Anemone

- Nodding Wild Onion

- Blue Flag Iris

- Black Snakeroot

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Class Four

This is the outline in the yard:

And here is the design plan:

Plant List, which got bigger ;)

• Rattlesnake Master
• Kobold Blazing Star
• Swamp Milkweed
• Switch Grass
• Black Eyed Susan
• Golden Ragwort
• Rose Mallow
• Prairie Dock
• Canada Anemone
• New England Aster or Prairie Smoke