Rain garden? Day 2 - 487 Mendota

Rainy days on Fridays never get us down, at least not where our damp but undaunted Wells Fargo volunteers were concerned. We were impressed by their dedication and thankful, again, for their help. If we had been able to finish the rain gardens prior to our volunteer day on Friday, July 11, we would have had near perfect conditions to test their functioning (the rain gardens, not the volunteers).

The Big Question: will the rain stop so we can work outside?

Photo by J. Harrington

Our intrepid volunteers had managed to get the site prepared by removing the old fence posts and getting the planting beds dug and prepared. Here's a site plan to give you a sense of what we're working toward. A rain garden goes in each of the top corners. The north garden is on the left and the south garden, naturally, is then on the right.

Plans developed by: Capital Region Watershed District
& Ramsey Conservation District

Details of the plantings at each location are shown in the following two figures.

North garden

Here is a list of what will be planted in the

North rain garden
Qty:	Scientific Name:	Common Name:	Size:	Spacing:	Native
3	Amelanchier laevis	Serviceberry	1 Gal	5'	Yes
7	Aronia melanocarpa	Black Chokeberry	1 Gal	5'	Yes
18	Asclepias incarnata	Swamp Milkweed	3.5" Pot	18"-24" o.c.	Yes
15	Carex vulpinoidea	Fox sedge	3.5" Pot	18"-24" o.c.	Yes
9	Iris versicolor	Blue Flag Iris	3.5" Pot	18"-24" o.c.	Yes
14	Liatris aspera	Rough Blazing Star	3.5" Pot	18"-24" o.c.	Yes

South garden

Wells Fargo volunteer crew ready for work

The south garden, visible in the top photo between the sign and the truck, will have the same plants as listed for the North site, but not as many. Before the North garden could be planted, however, a notable stump needed to be dug out so the contractor can pull it later in the week.

digging in to dig out a stump