330 likes | 563 Views
Planting Your Rain Garden. Are rain gardens wet?. The Rain Garden Environment. The Rain Garden Environment. Emergent. Edge. Rain Garden Zones. Semi-aquatic. The Rain Garden Environment. Moisture regime also depends upon site conditions. A Citizen’s Guide to Phytoremediation,
E N D
Are rain gardens wet? The Rain Garden Environment
Emergent Edge Rain Garden Zones Semi-aquatic
The Rain Garden Environment • Moisture regime also depends upon site conditions
A Citizen’s Guide to Phytoremediation, US EPA, 2001 The Forest Model Rain gardens are designed to imitate forest functions. Stream Corridor Restoration, FISRWG, 1998
Surface Hierarchy Pyramid MOST DESIRABLE Multiple Layers of Vegetation Single Layer of Vegetation Mulch Lawn Stones/Gravel Bare Soil Pavement/Roof LEAST DESIRABLE
Does Your Rain Garden Work? Courtesy Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc.
Pollutants in the Rain Garden • Nutrients (Nitrogen and Phosphorus) • Heavy Metals (Copper) • Salt, Deicers, Sand • Car fluids (Gasoline, Antifreeze, Oil, etc.) • Pesticides & Herbicides
Adapted to local conditions, including soils & precipitation • Don’t require inputs of chemical fertilizers & pesticides • Save time and money • Provide the habitat wildlife, including pollinators, need • Beautiful! Use Native Plants http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/chesapeake/toc.htm
Natives Provide Habitat • Food (Year-round) • Water • Shelter • Places to Raise Young
A native plant is “a plant that lives or grows naturally in a particular region without direct or indirect human intervention.” USDA PLANTS Database http://plants.usda.gov/
An invasive non-native plant is “a species intentionally or accidentally introduced by human activity into a region in which it did not evolve and which aggressively competes with, and displaces, locally adapted native plant communities. Avoid Invasive Plants • Displace native species • Reduce wildlife habitat • Alter ecosystem processes • Maintenance nightmare! Courtesy NPS http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural_heritage/invspinfo.shtml http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/toc.htm
10 Rain Garden Plants Black-eyed susan
Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica) http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/serviceplantfinder.shtml
10 Rain Garden Plants Winterberry holly
10 Rain Garden Plants Obedient plant Joe Pye weed
10 Rain Garden Plants Black Chokeberry (also Red Chokeberry) Ox-eye sunflower Switchgrass Elderberry Arrowwood viburnum
More Winning Plants Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal flower) and Rudbeckia hirta Pycnanthemum virgianum (Slender-leaved mountain mint) Andropogon virginicus (Broomsedge) Chasmanthium latifolium (Upland sea oats) New York ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) Clethra alnifolia (Sweet pepperbush) Northern bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) Milkweeds – Asclepias incarnata (swamp) and Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed) Little bluestem, Indian grass, goldenrods, monarda and asters
Plant Density • Seeds and Plugs • Better for natural gardens. • Plant plugs @ 1/2 to 1 ft. on center. • Can’t mulch with seed. • Pots • Better for traditional gardens. • Plant 4 inch to 1 gal plants @ 1 to 3 ft. on center
A Few Design Tips “A well-designed rain garden doesn’t look like a rain garden.” Rule of 3 – each plant should have at least 3 features to enjoy Plant in clumps of 3 – 7 plants of the same species to create bold color, cohesion and pattern. Use your edges. Create year-round dimension and interest. Plant densely, but consider mature plant size.
Downspout Drain
Local Rain Gardens • Hidden Oaks Nature Center, Annandale • Green Springs Garden, Alexandria • Audrey Moore RECenter/Wakefield Park, Annandale • Cub Run RECenter, Centreville • U.S. Botanical Garden, Washington, DC • Georgetown Waterfront, Washington, DC • Brookside Gardens, Wheaton
Christin Jolicoeur Watershed Planner Arlington County DES 703-228-3588 Cjolicoeur@arlingtonva.us Contact Information