Creating the Rain Garden in May
The area in the middle of the central flowerbed of the Sherland Road garden has always been rather boggy and not much would grow there, so we thought we'd turn it into a proper bog or a Rain Garden. A rain garden is planted in a depression and takes advantage of rainfall and stormwater runoff in its design and plant selection.
We are very grateful to the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association for their generous grant funding. A special thanks to Alice and Daniel for their hard grafting and to Mark and Filipa for their research and advice in creating it.
We're looking forward to seeing how it evolves and if any frogs decide to set up home!
The middle of the flowerbed as it was in February 2014
Mark and Alice moving the plants and bulbs earlier in May.
A plastic liner is added in the dug out hollow to help retain water
Mark and Daniel dig out the area for the garden
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Downpipe and container before |
Cascada water barrel installed |
The plants arrive
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Plants include marginals, Yellow Iris, Yellow and Purple Loosestrife, Ferns and Rudbeckia. We decide on a planting design and add moisture retaining compost and horticultural grit.
Our newly planted rain garden on Saturday 10 May.
Spring
Spring bulbs are pushing through - the garden is evolving.
Grow Wild Easter Event
On Sunday 13 April, we organised an Easter egg hunt for the children. We were given packs of free seed kits from Grow Wild UK plus free sunflower seeds from RHS 50 years of Britain in Bloom.
We also heard that our application for funding from the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association for a garden project was successful and we received money to create a Rain Garden in the centre flowerbed. We bought a Cascada water barrel, capable of holding 250 litres of water and which will connect to the garden by means of an integrated pipe. Work started on the garden on Sunday 4 May and we are currently awaiting delivery of the remaining plants.