Rain Garden Demonstration Installation

Driving into the front entrance of the Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Agricultural Research &amp; Extension Center. The rain garden is on the right just before the greenhouse.

Overgrown camellias had to be removed before the site could be prepared.

Two camellias were marked to be saved. They were limbed up into small trees so they wouldn’t block the views of vehicular traffic.

The debris was hauled away and chipped into mulch.

The area (1,100 ft2) was tilled and graded into a swale and ponding area.

Slope and drainage was tested.

A 12 inch deep trench was dug at the edge of the asphalt and filled with stone to slow the runoff coming off the road into the rain garden. Compost was dumped in the planting area.

The compost was spread 2 inch thick over the entire planting area. Blue flags delineate the turf display part of the rain garden.

Plants were placed according to the planting plan.

Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Water Stewards volunteered to install the rain garden plants.

It took 25 people 2.5 hours to plant 62 species (320 plants) on July 27, 2007.

Small plots of centipede, zoysia, St. Augustine, and bermuda warm season grasses and fescue and bluegrass cool season grasses were installed along the front edge of the rain garden.

The rain garden was mulched with 3 inches of hardwood chips.

An overview of the new rain garden. All plants are labeled.

Interpretative signage and a mailbox for information handouts for visitors were installed next to the rain garden.

Closeup of the rain garden.