SRA Rock 'N Rain Garden

Fall 2003, SRA Rock 'N Rain Garden

Rain gardens save water, reduce pollution, and help wildlife, all at the same time. Using native plants, rain gardens are shallow (2" to 6" deep) landscaped areas that collect stormwater runoff, usually from a roof, pavement, or other impervious surface, and allow it to slowly percolate into the soil. This provides flood control, groundwater recharge, and water-cooling benefits, while the plants, soils, and associated microorganisms remove many types of pollutants–such as pesticides, oils, metals, and other contaminants–from stormwater runoff. The Rock 'N Rain Garden infiltrates stormwater from the upper parking lot. (It is so named due to the rock berms placed at intervals to break the water flow draining from the adjoining parking lot. Two other CEC rain gardens use biolog berms to break the water flow.)

The SRA Rock 'N Rain Garden, adopted by the Severn River Association or SRA, infiltrates stormwater from the upper parking lot. In the 1950s, when Adams Academy Middle School (formerly Adams Elementary and The Learning Center) was built, the Anne Arundel County School System cut a 120-foot long swale and lined it with asphalt to drain the water as quickly as possible off the parking lot to nearby College Creek.

Today's best management practice is to do the opposite, that is, to break the water flow, allow it to cool and soak into the ground to recharge groundwater, and allow the water to flow through native vegetation to remove pollutants. After the difficult process of removing asphalt, by hand and with a bobcat, from the 1,800-square-foot area, we amended the hard clay soil with 1/3 sand, 1/3 top soil, and 1/3 compost. John Flood rototilled the planting bed. (Other than this garden, we've purposely avoided amending the soil. For other gardens, we've used what is in place and installed plants appropriate for conditions.)

Carol Jelich designed the garden. Members of the Severn River Association, Adams Academy students, and other volunteers planted the garden. The garden has flourished since its installation in the spring of 2003.

Pictures:

Click on the thumbnail image below for a larger picture and description

Size: 1,800 square feet

Plant List:

• Tussock Sedge (Carex stricta)
• Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
• Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)
• Narrow Leaf Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium)
• Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
• Swamp Sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius)
• Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium fistulosum)
• Virginia Wild Rye (Elymus virginicus)
• Turtlehead (Chelone glabra)
• Pasture Rose (Rosa carolina)
• Inkberry (Ilex glabra)
• Red Twig Dogwood (Cornus sericea)
• Sweet Pepperbush Or Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)
• Silky Dogwood (Cornus amomum)
• River Birch (Betula nigra)
• Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia)