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Rain Garden Massabesic Audubon 2014
Massabesic Audubon Rain Garden, Auburn, 2014
The entryway to the the Massabesic Aubudon Center in Auburn NH. SOAK NH partnered with the Aubudon Center to install a rain garden and rain barrel in the back of this building.
The back of the Audubon Center before the rain garden was built. Prior to the install, a gutter and downspout system was installed to capture the entire roof area to direct it into the rain garden.
Three volunteers from Student Conservation Association
NH (SCA NH) based in Bear Brook State Park lent a hand for the hard work of shoveling out the rain garden area.
Once the rain garden shape is laid out, the sod is removed. The rain garden area is sloped away from the building, so the sod will be used to build a berm, or low earthen wall. The berm creates a level edge all the way around the garden, which gives the rain garden the ability to hold rain water as it slowly sinks in.
The team removes dirt and levels the bottom of the rain garden. The level bottom helps rain water spread out into the entire rain garden area.
The next step is to create a level planting bed by mixing the native soil with composted soil and other amendments.
Corrugated black plastic piping is attached to the ends of the downspouts and run underground into the sunken rain garden.
Foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis), and bee balm (Monarda didyma), two native, rain garden plants, wait for their turn to be planted. SOAK NH aims to use at least 90% native plants in their rain gardens and often hits 100%!
Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis) is a wonderful native shrub perfect for rain gardens. A list of tried and true plants for New England rain gardens can be found at soaknh.org under Resources.
Yellow stonecrop seedum worked well in the rain garden between the paving stone path to the bird bath.
Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor) is a great rain garden plant to use at the inlet. It is tough enough to withstand the rush of water as it flows into the garden from the gutter and downspout system.
The completed rain garden. The bermed edge, sloped sides, and flat bottom create the "kiddie pool" shape that holds rain water as it slowly sinks in.
Lesson Learned! The SOAK NH crew experimented with covering the berm with landscape fabric to act as a weed barrier. However, the first rain storm washed the mulch of the fabric! The fabric was removed and the berm was secured with additional plantings.
Oxeye sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) and lavendar hyssops (Agastache foeniculum), can be seen toward the back of the garden. Bee balm (Monarda digitalis) and purple asters are in the foreground.
Rain gardens should always have an overflow outlet. In large storms, rain gardens fill up and overflow. The outlet "tells" it where to overflow so that it happens in a controlled way.
Several months later, the rain garden is in full bloom. Seedum (variety unknown) was added to the berm to help secure it when the garden fills up with rain water.
Purple asters blooming in early fall. The overflow outlet needs a little TLC. Some mulch from when the rain garden overflowed in large storms was dislodged and moved out. This is typical of newly mulched gardens.
Sedum (unknown variety) blooms on the berm.