A Big Project: Time for a Rain Garden?

[JBtheExplorer]

Had to move some plants this morning so I planted them in the shady section along my garage. A few species of ferns, Wild Geranium, Indian Pink, and Virginia Bluebells, which have been struggling to survive this year.

 

[callingcolleen1]

How exciting! Project sounds very interesting. Its like reclaiming the lost creeks and bogs we might have had naturally if we never built house's and subdivisions. I read a while back that Toronto Ontario lost losts of these natural water features and they were planning to reclaim lots of lost ponds and creeks and have rainwater feed these new ponds and they said that they would plant lots if sedges as they clean best. You could use some of that overgrown iris for your new feature garden.

 

[Panzer13]

I start out every project saying it will be easy and fun. Then after I have tweak it or do a major over hall it turns into a chore. But it is my nature to tinker with things.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

You could use some of that overgrown iris for your new feature garden.

I'm ahead of you on that one! Already had that plan even before my bog troubles. It's always nice when you can use your own plants to help with a project.

I start out every project saying it will be easy and fun.

That does happen. Can't foresee this becoming anything too difficult, unless I someday add a stream to my pond, which would them lead me to having to remove the entire new rain garden. I'm sure I won't do that.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Did more today than it looks. Moved quite a few plants today and laid about 75% of the new pathway. Should be able to get quite a bit done tomorrow as well. If all goes well, all I'll have left to do after tomorrow is plant plants, although I need to pick up another bag or two of wood chips to finish the path. You can see the small sticks poking up along the garage. Those are marking the ferns and other shade-loving plants I put in today.

 

[ShawnInfirmity]

Sounds like a really cool project @JBtheExplorer , can't wait to see it all finished and in full bloom!

 

[Panzer13]

It's looking really good JB, you making great progress.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Finished almost the entire path today. As you can see, I also put in a row of bricks, this was not planned, but that side was too high, making the rain garden too steep, and since I had already put the path down, I didn't want to have to tear it all back up to lower it all. The bricks help hold the mulch in, so that'll work for now.

Started planting today, including Nodding Onion and Blue Flag Iris

I also put the second downspout in. If two downspouts are too much for this garden, I made it so I can easily remove one.

Next will be planting this small area outlined in sticks around my bog. Although, I may want to fix my bog before I plant around it.

So far, I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out, I just hate the long wait for all my plants to establish and fill in.

 

[Panzer13]

Awesome!

 

[j.w]

When you get it all done we need it to rain a lot for awhile so we can see it in action! Not thinking you are ready for that tho as you just go into your happy mood over Winter finally leaving

 

[JBtheExplorer]

The rain garden is seeing its first rain this morning. It won't do much work until the plants are much bigger and can filter the water, but it's nice to see the plan in action. Rain gardens are often larger than this, so I assumed that two downspouts were going to be too much for this small garden. Because of that, I intentionally made one downspout easy to disable. Seeing it in action this morning, I think I may have to disable it. The garden was keeping up with this heavier rain quite well, but if it we have an all day rain or torrential downpours, it may not be able to handle it. I may keep the tubing in place and convert it to a wildlife tunnel for the smaller animals to get in and out of the fenced-in area easier. I know chipmunks would use it, and I'm sure frogs and toads would, too.

As you can see, I also added a shrub last night. This is some kind of St. John's Wort. I believe it's Kalm's St. John's Wort, but I really don't know. I've had it a few years and didn't know what it was when I got it. When I found out it's likely a variety of a native specie, I decided to keep it, and when I started designing the rain garden, I figured I'd move it over to this new garden.

 

[snoozer]

Your rain garden will be getting a work out the next couple of days. Not sure is you heard about it, there is a native plant sale at Wehr Nature Center in Whitnall Park this Saturday and Sunday.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Your rain garden will be getting a work out the next couple of days. Not sure is you heard about it, there is a native plant sale at Wehr Nature Center in Whitnall Park this Saturday and Sunday.

There are a few in the general area throughout May, at least there has been in recent years. It's something that I definitely recommend people go out and support.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

We had 0.7" of rain today. There was about two inches of standing water during heaviest rain, and it disappeared almost immediately after the heavy rain stopped. That's great news! My garage has three downspouts, which means two thirds of the roof's water ended up in the rain garden, plus the rain that fell directly into the garden.


I still plan on making a few adjustments. I plan on adding an overflow exit, just in case the rain garden ever fills completely up. It seems clear to me that it can handle a rainy day, but I know that eventually we'll get some crazy storm that'll produce enough rain to overflow my small rain garden. While overflow isn't an issue in a typical rain garden that's out in the lawn, mine is surrounded by woodchip pathway, so I wouldn't want the pathway to end up floating everywhere.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

We had a heavy downpour last night, and the lawn still has some standing water in it tonight. The rain garden, however, had no standing water in it today. It's absorbing water as quickly as I could've hoped. 1.8 inches of rain yesterday and no standing water in the rain garden.

As soon as we get some decent weather I'll be able to get to figure out the overflow drain I have planned. The last few days have been pretty rainy and cold, and the next two days look to have at least some rain in them, so I may not be able to do what I want to do until late-week. Who knew adding a rain garden would trigger so much rain?