Plant Lessons Learned from Designed Rain Gardens Ann English, RLA, ASLA, LEED AP BD+C Edamarie Mattei Rochelle Bartolomei Luke Jessup Introduction Learning objectives What needs to be considered when designing gardens for managing Stormwater How do residential and commercial/roadway Stormwater landscape solutions differ? What information still needs to be better developed? Why is this work important and how does it drive business? 1
Plants are integral to rain gardens Why aren t they studied more closely? Engineer vs Ecologist vs Landscape Architect vs. Designer Planting is an optimist act 2
Green Streets Rain Garden Looks like a garden, works like a stormwater treatment plant Plants after a 3 rain at the bottom of the neighborhood Doing well 3
After a 3 rain in the ROW silt loads burying plants! Commercial bioretention and rain garden challenges to plants 4
Rain Garden issues in a parking lot Is it a plant problem or a design problem? Residential Rain Garden Challenges Design properly anticipated site conditions and maintenance schedule supports robust growth 5
Every Rain Garden requires Evaluation after installation Functional Aesthetic Economic Sustainable 12 6
Sherwood Forest Drive, Silver Spring Building Beauty and Environmental Care January 2017 Assess the site 7
Make a plan Turf Removal 8
Rain Garden- de-compact Rain Garden- Excavate to create ponding area, build a berm, incorporate compost 9
Rain Garden- Overflow Conservation Landscape- Grading and micro-berms 10
Rain Garden and Conservation Landscape- Planting Maintenance Plan for irrigation 11
Maintenance: Mulch Maintenance: Plan to weed 12
Benefits Benefits 13
Benefits Benefits 14
PLANTS THAT WORK FOR RAINGARDENS ROCHELLE BARTOLOMEI, NATIVE PLANT PROGRAM MANAGER POPE FARM NURSERY, MONTGOMERY COUNTY PARKS EVERY SITE IS A CHALLENGE AN OPPORTUNITY 15
AGGRESSIVE INVADERS MUGWORT ENGLISH IVY STILT GRASS OVERZEALOUS WEEDERS 16
HOST PLANTS ASCLEPIAS INCARNATA, SWAMP MILKWEED HOST FOR MONARCH BUTTERFLY ANTENNARIA PARLINII, PARLIN S PUSSYTOES HOST FOR PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY IRIS VERSICOLOR IRIS VERSICOLOR NORTHERN BLUE FLAG PHOTO LEFT: DANIELLE QUIGLEY ABOVE:: TOM MURRAY 17
JUNCUS EFFUSUS SOFT RUSH PHOTO LEFT: PINELANDS NURSERY ABOVE: OHIO NATURE BLOG ASCLEPIAS INCARNATA SWAMP MILKWEED PHOTO: ROCHELLE BARTOLOMEI 18
LOBELIA CARDINALIS, CARDINAL FLOWER PACKERA AUREA,GOLDEN RAGWORT PHOTO: FUTURE PLANTS, RANDY STEWART 19
ILEX VERTICILLATA WINTERBERRY CAREX CRINITA FRINGED SEDGE PHOTO ABOVE LEFT: JIM MCCORMAC PHOTO ABOVE RIGHT: ILLINOIS WILDFLOWERS PHOTO LEFT: ROCHELLE BARTOLOMEI 20
SCHIZACHYRIUM SCOPARIUM LITTLE BLUESTEM WINTER INTEREST PHOTOS: NORTH CREEK NURSERY EUTHAMIA GRAMINIFOLI AGRASS- LEAVED GOLDENROD Photo: RUSSELL WHOLESALE 21
MONARDA FISTULOSA BEEBALM PHOTO: ROCHELLE BARTOLOMEI PENSTEMON HIRSUTUS HAIRY BEARDTONGUE PHOTO: NORTH AMERICAN ROCK GARDEN SOCIETY 22
GREAT COMBINATION EUTROCHIUM DUBIUM JOE PYE WEED RUDBECKIA FULGIDA ORANGE CONEFLOWER ERAGROSTIS SPECTABILIS PURPLE LOVE GRASS PHOTO: CORNELIA SARVEY VERNONIA LETTERMANNII IRONWEED IRON BUTTERFLY 23
ASTER ERICOIDES, SNOW FLURRY PHOTO: NORTH CREEK NURSERY THANK YOU! HAPPY TRIAL AND ERROR! 24
Rain Gardens Lessons Learned 25
Keys to Success 1. Does the garden solve the water issue? 2. Is the garden sized correctly? 3. How does it look? 4. Is the garden low maintenance? 5. Is there ongoing maintenance? 4. Is there diversity? 26
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Avoid Critical Root Zone 29
Groundcovers are Key Reduces need for mulch Uptakes water Resilient to weeds and invasive plants Taller groundcovers are more successful 30
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New resources coming out every year! 34
Plant selections based on predictive plant community for the site Physical/ aesthetic layout based on client s style preferences Wet meadow/ woods edge species Upland meadow species Wet meadow/ stream edge species Using Trench Drains, Dry Stream Beds and Linear Dry Wells to Direct the Water Flow 35
Visually linked to the rest of the landscape Breewood Rd Add pedestrian scale Streetscape tweak 3 Gardens April May renovation Fall Repetition used to visually link the gardens Creates pollinator corridors 36
Fiesta South Traditional layered residential structured garden ; linked gardens Gardens 1&2 before and by Fall 2017 April When do you evaluate a design? Inventory and analysis Design Program Preliminary plan development and evaluation Design development plans Construction Documents Installation Maintenance At every step of the Design Process! 37
Understand the design goals prior to evaluation Ecological Aesthetic/Social Use Stormwater management Brookside Gardens Parking Lot Bioswale Fall 2016 A. English Naturalistic design Brookside Gardens newly planted Green street in peak fall glory 38
Look at Challenges as opportunity Rain Gardens are dynamic systems that develop over time Watch the plants and learn Well designed rain gardens improve site ecological function with plants while making the world more beautiful 39
Questions? Ann English, RLA, ASLA, LEED AP BD+C RainScapes Program Manager ann.english@montgomerycountymd.gov Edamarie Mattei Backyard Bounty Rochelle Bartolomei MC Parks Native Plant Program Manager Luke Jessup Father Nature 40