Photo Galleries
Rain Garden Newmarket Residential 2016
Liz Arcieri in her Residential Rain Garden in Newmarket, one of ten stormwater solutions installed through Soak Up the Rain Great Bay.
Prior to the rain garden installation, the homeowners adjusted the gutter system to capture the garage roof and the two section of the house roof seen here. Some of the existing plants in front of the house were relocated to make room for the rain garden.
It's a really good idea to do some exploratory digging while in the planning stages. In this case, it was discovered that the rain garden location was full of giant rocks and boulders. An excavator and truck to haul away material was needed.
Once the rain garden is completely excavated, stakes and strings are used to make sure the bottom is level. This helps ensure the water will enter the rain garden and spread out.
It may seem odd that we dig out a deep hole for a rain garden only to fill it part-way up again, but the depth is needed to make room for a planting bed for plant support and for creating space for rain water to pond up and then soak in.
A load or two of loam was needed to mix with the native soil to create the planting bed. Mixing native soil with the loam helps encourage the plant roots to move out of the planting bed and into the surrounding soil. If the bed is too nice, the roots may not want to reach beyond it.
The crew takes a much needed break after creating the planting bed, overflow outlet (seen in the foreground), and berm. In sloped yards, the berm creates a level edge all the way around the garden. This gives the rain garden its needed sunken characteristic for holding water.
It's important to lay out the plants according to the planting plan and adjust the spacing before the actual planting begins.
Here Liz Arcieri installs plants along the berm of her new rain garden.
The plants are planted, watered thoroughly, then protected from damage with over-turned pots while the planting is finished and the mulch is applied.
One of the two inlet pipes. Blue Flag iris (Iris versicolor) are often used at the inlet because they are tough enough to take the rush of water during a storm.
Bill and Liz with their new rain garden.
Notice the ends of the two white inlet pipes in the garden. As is typically done, extensions were attached to the ends of the downspouts near the house, and the inlet pipes were run underground to bring water to the sunken garden.
The crew was mindful to tie the new rain garden in with the existing plantings.
The rain garden one year later. "You can't understate the aesthetic - it is great to have a vibrant garden of continually blooming and colorful plants...well worth the investment." Bill Arcieri, homeowner.
One year later, the rain garden is filling in nicely although the berm could use some additional plantings to stabilize it. A rain garden plant list can be found listed under "Resources."
Rain garden installation in Newmarket as part of the Soak Up the Rain Great Bay Project.