When building green, conservation of resources is just as important outside of the house as it is inside the house. For this reason, careful consideration should be taken when selecting landscape material. Native flowers and grasses, for instance, can help conserve water resources because they are adapted to local climate and rain-fall conditions; they also require little to no fertilizer because they have naturally acclimated to the soil types found in the Midwest region. Native plants help filter contaminates from rainwater as it seeps back into the water table, while prairie plants generally have extensive root systems that enable them to survive drought conditions.When it comes to lawn care, CHDC decided to further reduce strain on additional resources such as petroleum products for lawnmowers by planting a "No Mow" Lawn Mix comprised of five different types of low-grow fescue. Because the grass grows slowly, the lawn should only need to be mowed once a summer, around mid-June, before the grass seedheads begin to open. A more manicured look may be achieved by mowing more often, but far less than regular lawns generally require. Fescue is drought tolerant and, once established, should not require additional watering.
Two rain gardens were installed at the front of 1347 Forest Avenue in order to capture roof rainwater run-off. One of the gardens is 60 square feet and the other is 120 square feet; both are tied into each other as well as to a 55 gallon rain barrel on the west side of the house. The gardens were sunk 36" into the lawn and shored up by timbers, in order to allow for excessive rain events. A mix of soil, top soil, and compost was then layered into each rain garden.
Plant material for the rain gardens are all native prairie species and include:
Red Milkweed (5), New England Aster (3), Crooked Stem Aster (8), White False Indigo (2), Wild Senna (2), Mistflower (3), Prairie Smoke (6), Maple Leaved Alum Root (2), Great Blue Lobelia (3), Bergamot (3), Marsh Phlox (5), Downy Phlox (6), Sweet Black Eyed Susan (2), Cupplant (1), Ohio Goldenrod (3), Ironweed (3), Culver's Root (3), Palm Sedge (14), Fox Sedge (14), and Indiangrass (8).
Both the "No Mow" Lawn Mix and the rain garden plants were purchased through Prairie Nursery based out of Wetfield, WI.
A small 2.5' by 9' 7" rain garden planter was also built onto the west side of the front porch deck. The planter receives rainwater from the overhanging eaves, which were perforated to allow for drainage. The planter was filled with dirt, compost, and red cedar mulch and was planted with Palm Sedge (3), Blue Hair Grass (3), and 'Red Wing' Creeping Phlox (6).
Running the tile from the house downspout to the rain gardens.
Shoring up the rain garden walls
The bottom of the rain garden was lined with garden plastic for weed control
and rocks for drainage.
A small 2.5' by 9' 7" rain garden planter was also built onto the west side of the front porch deck. The planter receives rainwater from the overhanging eaves, which were perforated to allow for drainage. The planter was filled with dirt, compost, and red cedar mulch and was planted with Palm Sedge (3), Blue Hair Grass (3), and 'Red Wing' Creeping Phlox (6).
Running the tile from the house downspout to the rain gardens.
Digging out the rain gardens.
Shoring up the rain garden walls
The bottom of the rain garden was lined with garden plastic for weed controland rocks for drainage.
Connecting the two rain gardens -- overflow valves linking the gardens.
The finished 120 SF rain garden
The finished 60 SF rain garden
All plant material was one year old, with developed root stocks.
The finished 120 SF rain garden
The finished 60 SF rain garden
All plant material was one year old, with developed root stocks.
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