PRIMARY GOALS OF PROJECT:
There were several goals that GCS had when looking to add a rain garden to our community. Not only are the rain gardens a beautiful addition to the landscape, they serve as a useful water collection system to help in areas of poor drainage and provide additional feeding areas to our pollinators. Those were all high priorities for us and the rain garden was a natural extension of our landscaping beautification. It is our hope that by adding the first rain garden, it will create enough interest that we can install additional rain gardens in the future and provide casual, peaceful meeting places throughout our community for our residents to enjoy for years to come.
BRIEF PROJECT OVERVIEW/TIMELINE (include date of plant install):
We met with Jared of Feral Flora in the fall of 2023 to define the area where the rain garden would be installed. In April of 2024, Jared returned and began removing the grass and doing the limited digging that was needed. He also mulched and prepared the area for the plants. On May 21, 2024, Jared returned for the final step of planting. Jared was wonderful to work with, had extensive knowledge, which he readily shared and was a patient communicator. At our request, he discussed possible locations for future rain gardens with us.
SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES:
Our initial success was in determining the location for the rain garden based on our water issues. Several hard rains have occurred since the installation and the rain garden has done its job exceedingly well. We have received positive feedback from a number of our co-owners on the project, even though the plants are young and most have not bloomed.
The one challenge we have faced is the squirrel, rabbit and groundhog population around our community. There has been a little digging done in the garden but it doesn’t appear that any plants have been displaced. We will continue to watch out for that.
PLAN FOR FUTURE MAINTENANCE/USE:
Several of our co-owners have volunteered to maintain the rain garden. We have plans of adding a bench under a nearby tree so that our residents can come and enjoy a serene visit.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WCCD:
We were only able to do this project as a result of the grant that we received from WCCD. We would encourage the WCCD to continue this program in the future.
There were several goals that GCS had when looking to add a rain garden to our community. Not only are the rain gardens a beautiful addition to the landscape, they serve as a useful water collection system to help in areas of poor drainage and provide additional feeding areas to our pollinators. Those were all high priorities for us and the rain garden was a natural extension of our landscaping beautification. It is our hope that by adding the first rain garden, it will create enough interest that we can install additional rain gardens in the future and provide casual, peaceful meeting places throughout our community for our residents to enjoy for years to come.
BRIEF PROJECT OVERVIEW/TIMELINE (include date of plant install):
We met with Jared of Feral Flora in the fall of 2023 to define the area where the rain garden would be installed. In April of 2024, Jared returned and began removing the grass and doing the limited digging that was needed. He also mulched and prepared the area for the plants. On May 21, 2024, Jared returned for the final step of planting. Jared was wonderful to work with, had extensive knowledge, which he readily shared and was a patient communicator. At our request, he discussed possible locations for future rain gardens with us.
SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES:
Our initial success was in determining the location for the rain garden based on our water issues. Several hard rains have occurred since the installation and the rain garden has done its job exceedingly well. We have received positive feedback from a number of our co-owners on the project, even though the plants are young and most have not bloomed.
The one challenge we have faced is the squirrel, rabbit and groundhog population around our community. There has been a little digging done in the garden but it doesn’t appear that any plants have been displaced. We will continue to watch out for that.
PLAN FOR FUTURE MAINTENANCE/USE:
Several of our co-owners have volunteered to maintain the rain garden. We have plans of adding a bench under a nearby tree so that our residents can come and enjoy a serene visit.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WCCD:
We were only able to do this project as a result of the grant that we received from WCCD. We would encourage the WCCD to continue this program in the future.
