HORTICULTURAL HINTS FROM THE SUFFIELD GARDEN CLUB
By Maria Capella
RainGardens
Although the rain garden has been around for a while many people have never heard of it. You have probably passed by a rain garden here in Suffield every day. A rain garden is located at the intersection of South Main and Bridge Street. What is a rain garden? A rain garden is a landscape or streetscape that consists of a shallow depression designed to collect and filter storm water. Every time it rains, storm water runoff from roads and parking lots is collected by the rain garden. The runoff is absorbed into the garden soil and the plants growing there. Rain gardens can trap 99 percent of pollutants contained in storm runoff such as oil, metals and fertilizers. Even the mulch covering the garden assists in the filtration process. Rain gardens can be planted along streams, roads and ponds, anywhere there is storm runoff.
The BridgeStreetIsland rain garden was designed to create year-round visual interest. Evergreen shrubs are the foundation of the garden. In early spring daffodils awaken. Come mid-spring Stella Doro daylilies and irises are in bloom followed by roses. The roses bloom until frost and Russian Sage helps with the summer color display. The Suffield Garden Club, which maintains the island, uses eco-friendly products to control pests and diseases. The previous roses in the garden could no longer be maintained in this manner so a new disease-resistant variety called "Theresa Buget" will be planted. The University of Connecticut has a complete guide on how to build and design your own rain garden. Go to
http://www.sustainability.uconn.edu/landscape/05-rain_gardens.html
to download or request a brochure. I
f you are interested in the plants mentioned in this article, The Suffield Garden Club will be selling a "Bridge Street Island Collection" of plants at our annual May Market fundraiser, on May 10th at the Hatheway House on Main Street. Please stop by and say hello!
http://www.sustainability.uconn.edu/landscape/05-rain_gardens.html
