Rain Gardens
My Kwan Yin workshop for today was cancelled due to the instructor's illness, so I helped dig a hole instead. I recently joined Upstate Forever. Today was the Rain Gardens 101 event. I had never heard of rain gardens, but was up for meeting new people in the organization I just joined. I set off this morning for downtown and the Upstate Forever office.
About 15 people participated. We started with an overview of rain gardens. Basically, they help reduce erosion and filter pollutants from stormwater runoff by holdig the water for up to 48 hours. Then we took a walking tour through the Pettigru Historic District looking at potential sites for rain gardens or landscaping that is close to a rain garden. It was a beautiful fall day and so perfect for the walk. It was even chilly enough that I wore a light jacket. We visited the Upstate House which is on a really steep lot that backs up to Cleveland Park. It's a neat house built to be environmentally sensitive. They allow tours, so I'll have to look into that. There is a public access stairway down the side of the yard to the Park.
When we returned from the walk, we ate snacks provided by Whole Foods. I had vanill yogurt with granola and some fruit and desserts. Then we got down to work on the rain garden in the front yard of the Upstate Forever office. Most people bailed leaving 6 of us to do the digging. We encountered an unexpected number of roots which really slowed us down. We managed to get the hole mostly dug before I left around 2:30. There were only 3 people left by then. It was fun to spend time with the people and good to do some physical labor.
I can think of several places in our yard where we could build a rain garden in our yard. I showed the literature to Eldred to inspire him too! We have a big problem with runoff, so a rain garden would be perfect. Also, a garden means less grass to mow! I have been wanting to plant native plants, so this project will nudge me in that direction. They gave us a handout today with a list of native plants for rain gardens. I also found Deep South And Southeast Plants Ideal for Your Rain Garden. I found an article on rain gardens that includes a podcast. I also some biorention information from Prince Georges County, MD, where the idea of rain gardens originated in 1990. I also found a information on Home and Garden Clean Water Practices published by the Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Service. It should be a fun project!
I am going to share the information with the Building and Grounds Committee chairs at GUUF. We have a serious runoff problem that started when they built the CVS next door. A rain garden might be a good solution. I wonder if we can get a grant and become model site for Greenville. That would be really cool!
Book I'm listening to: The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith
Book I'm reading: The Lamplighter by Maria S. Cummins
About 15 people participated. We started with an overview of rain gardens. Basically, they help reduce erosion and filter pollutants from stormwater runoff by holdig the water for up to 48 hours. Then we took a walking tour through the Pettigru Historic District looking at potential sites for rain gardens or landscaping that is close to a rain garden. It was a beautiful fall day and so perfect for the walk. It was even chilly enough that I wore a light jacket. We visited the Upstate House which is on a really steep lot that backs up to Cleveland Park. It's a neat house built to be environmentally sensitive. They allow tours, so I'll have to look into that. There is a public access stairway down the side of the yard to the Park.
When we returned from the walk, we ate snacks provided by Whole Foods. I had vanill yogurt with granola and some fruit and desserts. Then we got down to work on the rain garden in the front yard of the Upstate Forever office. Most people bailed leaving 6 of us to do the digging. We encountered an unexpected number of roots which really slowed us down. We managed to get the hole mostly dug before I left around 2:30. There were only 3 people left by then. It was fun to spend time with the people and good to do some physical labor.
I can think of several places in our yard where we could build a rain garden in our yard. I showed the literature to Eldred to inspire him too! We have a big problem with runoff, so a rain garden would be perfect. Also, a garden means less grass to mow! I have been wanting to plant native plants, so this project will nudge me in that direction. They gave us a handout today with a list of native plants for rain gardens. I also found Deep South And Southeast Plants Ideal for Your Rain Garden. I found an article on rain gardens that includes a podcast. I also some biorention information from Prince Georges County, MD, where the idea of rain gardens originated in 1990. I also found a information on Home and Garden Clean Water Practices published by the Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Service. It should be a fun project!
I am going to share the information with the Building and Grounds Committee chairs at GUUF. We have a serious runoff problem that started when they built the CVS next door. A rain garden might be a good solution. I wonder if we can get a grant and become model site for Greenville. That would be really cool!
Book I'm listening to: The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith
Book I'm reading: The Lamplighter by Maria S. Cummins