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Anne and Peter Bray
1260 Buckingham Birmingham, MI 48009 Annebray@ameritech.net |
Anne and Peter Bray are both advanced Master Gardeners. Anne Bray is involved in the volunteer initiative to restore the natural woodlands in Booth Park. She is also active with Wild Ones. Anne received her Rouge Green Corridor Steward badge in 2004. |
| The Brays’ home landscape was transformed into a sustainable, environmental landscape several years ago. Site improvement objectives included holding all rain water on-site…and enhancing biodiversity for wildlife. A variety of gardens and plants in the front and back were installed with help from Bill Schneider, WildType Native Plant Nursery. Lawn grass was removed from the front yard. Rainwater from the roof was channeled to shrubs and other planted areas which function like a rain garden. The Bray’s make and use their own compost throughout their landscape, a factor which adds to the water-holding capacity of their gardens. | ||
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Linda and Oz Forrester |
Linda and Oz Forrester have volunteered on many Rouge-friendly projects, assisting the City of Birmingham, Friends of the Rouge, SOCWA and others. They were awarded “Rouge Green Corridor Steward” badges in 2004. |
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The Forrester’s have two rain gardens – one in the back of their home and one in the front. The front rain gardens use water from the downspout and via hose carries the water to the hosta bed that borders the front deck. A channel along the hosta bed was constructed to capture the rain water. The compost and mulch work well to soak up the rain water (from the roof) – to benefit the hosta border. The backyard rain garden (built in spring 2003) uses runoff from a portion of the roof (529 square feet). The rain garden is an irregular shaped triangle of varying depths – underlain with clay soil. A 12-inch stone filled sump is located at the lowest point to encourage water infiltration. A rainfall of 1.2 inches over a 12-hour period on May 30, 2003 left the depression 75% full when the rain ceased. All surface water was absorbed in 6 hours. An overflow is provided to an adjacent garden area – which will be useful during very heavy storms. |
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Lana Jerome
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Lana Jerome has created a woodland and prairie in her front yard. She also cares for three gardens at the Detroit Zoo and volunteers with SOCWA as a ecological gardener. As a professional gardener, she loves to share her passion for native plants and organics with her clients. |
| Lana Jerome’s rain garden, located in the greenbelt swale near the roadway, was constructed and planted in 2004. Storm water comes from the road and the driveway, as well as the neighbor’s property. In the past, water would pond in the swale for several days (clay soil environment). To remedy the problem and enhance biodiversity of the site, SOCRRA compost was delivered and shoveled into the swale. The compost works well to soak up the ponding storm water and to provide a fertile garden bed. The rain garden is planted with a mix of native wildflowers, hardy perennials, and several grasses. The goal is to infiltrate water through the garden bed and eliminate any offsite runoff. | ||
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Fran and Howard Knorr |
Fran and Howard Knorr are active community volunteers, working with Cranbrook House and Gardens Auxiliary, SOCWA, Friends of the Rouge and the Village of Beverly Hills. Fran serves on the Beverly Hills Strategic Planning Committee and is part of SOCWA’s Rain Garden Action Team. Howard leads tours of Douglas Evans Nature Preserve as well as invasive removal work days. He received his Rouge Green Corridor Steward badge in 2004.r plants suitable for rain gardens can be viewed in the Knorr’s numerous home gardens. |
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Howard and Fran Knorr dug and planted a small rain garden in the greenbelt between the sidewalk and the street. The garden, amended with compost and planted with native wildflowers, captures rain water from the side lawn and the sidewalk. Many other plants suitable for rain gardens can be viewed in the Knorr’s numerous home gardens. In 2004, Howard and Fran Knorr joined with SOCWA volunteer Carol Alexander to build and plant two small rain gardens on a road island across from the Knorr’s home. The roadway island is located at the intersection of Bedford, Medford, and Norchester Streets in the Village of Beverly Hills. The two small gardens on the south end of the road island, however, were dug out (2.5 feet deep) and SOCRRA compost was used to replace the clay soil. The island rain gardens receive road runoff, and have been planted with native wildflowers, hardy perennials and ornamental grasses. One rain garden is maintained by Fran Knorr and the second rain garden is maintained by volunteer Carol Alexander. NOTE: At the north end of the road island, another flower garden is maintained by Fran Knorr and neighbors. This community-maintained garden demonstrates plant diversity and the use of natural mulches, but it is not a rain garden. In addition to their rain gardens, the Knorr’s home landscape features a wide range of gardens; vegetable, cutting gardens, native wildflowers for butterflies and more. They installed a “gravel-pave” drive to help infiltrate rain. Fran and Howard Knorr use their home landscape and the new rain gardens to educate friends and neighbors about Rouge-friendly landscape practices. |
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Dena Serrato |
Dena Serrato is an active environmental gardening volunteer. She assists SOCWA with public events, rain garden presentations, soil health classes, and the SOCWA/SOCRRA demonstration gardens. She is an MSU Extension master gardener and master woodland steward. She is also a lead volunteer with the Royal Oak Nature Society where she helps remove invasive species. Dena works as an automotive designer. |
| Dena Serrato turned her side yard garden (shrubs,
grasses, and native wildflowers) into a rain garden demonstration area. She
realized the opportunity to connect the roof downspout water with her
existing garden. As a “retrofit” project, she connected the downspout
to the garden with a perforated pipe that runs under the walkway. The
pipe is buried 4 inches below the soil and capped at the end. The water
reaching the sandy soil infiltrates quickly and is absorbed by plant
roots. Note: The use of a perforated pipe is not recommended for
sites with clay soils. Dena amended the sandy loam soil in her garden bed, using a generous amount of compost. She then planted a combination of native and non-native shrubs and groundcovers in the garden. |
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Mary and Tom Kearney are active members with the Lathrup Village Gardeners and helped to plan the Lathrup Village Rain Garden Tour in June 2005. Mary is the author of the “Rain Gardens of Lathrup Village” brochure, available on request through SOCWA or the Village offices. She also serves on the Lathrup Village Rain Garden Advisory Committee. |
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Tom Kearney shaped the landscape near
the driveway to spread out the flow of water into the garden and to
avoid channeling. Mary Kearney planted the garden with native
wildflowers and shrubs suited to a partial-shade environment.
Plants include:
Red-osier Dogwood (Cornus
stolonifera), Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana), Cow
Parsnip (Heracleum maximum), Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias
incarnata), and Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), among
others. A two-inch layer of shredded bark mulch was added and has been
consistently maintained. After two years, the rain garden is considered
a success. The compost and plant roots are now absorbing the large
amounts of water that formerly ponded in their front lawn. The Kearney’s rain garden was installed and planted in spring 2003, one of the first home rain gardens in the Lathrup Village demonstration program. The Kearney’s were concerned about the large amount of rain water that would pool in their front lawn for days at a stretch. The source of the rain water is a long stretch of road that gradually slopes toward their property as well as the Kearney’s driveway. In addition to “drying up” their front yard, the Kearneys were interested in demonstrating the use of native wildflowers in their home landscape. The Kearney rain garden was installed with the assistance of SOCWA/SOCRRA operations staff. First, a front end loader was used to remove clay soil to a depth of 2.5 feet. The replacement soil mix was 70% SOCRRA compost and 30% sharp construction sand. SOCRRA delivered the compost mix which was added to the garden site and allowed to settle. Additional compost was added several weeks later. |
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Linda and Mark Piotrowski
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Linda and Mark Piotrowski, enjoy the family’s herb, vegetable and woodland gardens with their three young children. Linda is an active member of the Lathrup Village Gardener’s group and was a key volunteer with the Lathrup Village Rain Garden Tour in June 2005. The family participates in the activities of the Lathrup Village Children’s Garden. |
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Linda Piotrowski, a talented gardener and busy mother, agreed with the program goal of easy-care native wildflowers. She purchased a few plants and also worked with native wildflowers donated by SOCWA including Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor), Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae), Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana), and others. Flowers were selected so that they bloom at various times from mid-spring to late fall. Initially, a 2-inch layer of shredded bark mulch was used to provide for additional water retention and weed prevention. After two years, the native wildflowers have spread and plants such as wild strawberry cover the surface of the rain garden. This easy-care garden needs very little maintenance and is dry within a day following major rain storms. The Piotrowski rain garden was installed and planted in spring 2003, one of the first home rain gardens in the Lathrup Village rain garden demonstration program. The garden, located in the greenbelt (grassed swale) between the road and the sidewalk, receives runoff from the road and upstream properties. Before the rain garden was installed, water ponded in the front yard swale for 4–5 days or more following heavy rains. The mostly-sunny garden location was carefully planned to avoid blocking the flow of storm water in the swale – while still providing a means of “soaking up” the storm water runoff. With excavation provided by SOCWA operations staff, the garden was dug out to a depth of 18 inches - starting in the lowest point of the swale and extending toward the sidewalk “up” the side of the swale. Excavation to a depth of 2.5 feet was initially planned, but was changed due to gas lines running under the swale. In the new rain garden site, the clay soil removed was replaced with a mix of 70% SOCRRA compost and 30% sharp sand (similar to masonry sand). |
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Sarah Ragaly
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Sarah Ragalyi’s sump pump discharge rain garden is an extension of her front foundation garden. The rain garden, constructed in 2003, involved digging about 1.5 feet of clay from the edge of the existing foundation garden and adding a compost (80%) and sharp sand (20%) mix. A mix of native wildflowers and non-native perennials (especially butterfly plants) has been planted. Native wildflowers used include Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor), Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Turtlehead (Chelone glabra), Moonbeam Coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata), Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) and others. Stones were laid at the hose discharge point to dissipate the force of the sump pump water. The use of stones was essential to avoid scouring and erosion. This sump pump rain garden works well for the volume of sump pump water discharged. NOTE: The volume and frequency of water discharged from sump pumps is highly variable. As a result, the size and depth of rain gardens for sump pumps will also vary. |
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Copyright © 2005 [SOCWA]. All rights reserved.
Revised: February 29, 2008.
