The Rain Garden Project

Pioneer Springs Community School Rain Garden Project

A rain garden is a depressed area in the landscape that collects rain water from a roof, driveway or street and allows it to soak into the ground. Planted with grasses and flowering perennials, rain gardens can be a beautiful way to reduce runoff from your property. Rain gardens can also help filter out pollutants in runoff and provide food and shelter for butterflies, song birds and other wildlife.

Plants that are native to the area are the first choice for use in rain gardens because of their disease resistance and tolerance in local conditions.  There are plenty of native choices for the Charlotte area, so use your imagination!  You may want to choose plants that attract hummingbirds or butterflies, or that flower most of the season.  Some people are even trying edible rain gardens with plants that produce fruit and nuts!   

Consider the different wetness zones in your rain garden; plants around the outside edges can handle more typical landscape plants, but those in the center, deeper area will need to be able to withstand a couple days of flooding at a time. 

Your work group's mission is to select a Native Piedmont Region Plant to grow in our rain garden. Native plants are plants that naturally grow in our area of the country. Each group will select a native plant to research, create a presentation, and share with the class for approval to plant in our rain garden.

Reports must include:

1. Common and Scientific Name of the plant.

2. What type of soil does (dry, damp, wet) the plant grows in?                

3. How tall does the plant get?

4. Is the plant an annual or perennial?

5. How much sun does the plant like?

6. Does the plant flower? What color are its flowers?

7. Does the plant attract wildlife (bees, butterflies, birds)?

8. Why is this plant a good choice for our rain garden?

9. Please include a picture (drawing or representation).

First your group must decide on a plant to research.  According to the NC State University Extension Service the following list of plants are suitable for rain gardens. Each plant is marked according to its flooding tolerance, with 3’s being tolerant of longer flooding, 2’s only tolerating brief flooding, and 1’s indicate plants that tolerant extended drought once established.

Your group may also choose to research a plant not listed.  If you choose to research a plant not on the list, you must have approval from your teacher.

Shrubs

Deciduous

Chokeberry (1,3) – Aronia arbutifolia                                  Beautyberry (2) – Callicarpa americana

Sweet Shrub (2) – Calycanthus floridus                             Buttonbush (3) – Cephalanthus occidentalis

Pepperbush (2) – Clethra alnifolia                                       Strawberry Bush (2) – Euonymous americanus

Winterberry (3) – Ilex verticillata                                          Virginia Willow (3) – Itea virginica

Spicebush (2) – Lindera benzion                                         Possumhaw (3) – Viburnum nudum

Evergreen

Inkberry (2) – Ilex glabra                                                      Wax Myrtle (1,2) – Myrica cerifera

Perennials

Blue Star (3) – Amsonia tabernaemontana                         Lady Fern (2) – Athyrium felix-femina

Butterflyweed (1) – Asclepias tuberosa                              Swamp Milkweed (3) – Asclepias incarnata

Climbing Aster (3) – Aster carolinianus                               False Indigo (1,2) – Baptisia species

Boltonia (3) – Boltonia asteriodes                                        Turtlehead (3) – Chelone glabra

Green and Gold (2) – Chrysogonum virginianum               Mouse Ear Coreopsis (2) – Coreopsis auriculata

Tickseed (1,2) – Coreopsis lanceolata                                Swamp Coreopsis (2) – Coreopsis rosea

Joe Pye Weed (3) – Eupatorium dubium                             Swamp Sunflower (3) – Helianthus angustifolius

Swamp Mallow (3) – Hibiscus moscheutos                        Texas Star (3) – Hibiscus coccineus

Blue Flag Iris (3) – Iris virginica                                           Cardinal Flower (3) – Lobelia cardinalis

Cinnamon Fern (3) – Osmunda cinnamomea                     Royal Fern (3) – Osmunda regalis

Garden Phlox (2) – Phlox paniculata                                   Moss Pinks (1,2) – Phlox subulata

Rudbeckia (1,2) – Rudbeckia fulgida                             Greenheaded Coneflower (3) – Rudbeckia laciniata

Goldenrod (3) – Solidago rugosa                                         Ironweed (3) – Vernonia novaboracensis

Ornamental Grasses

River Oats (1,3) – Chasmanthium latifolium                             Muhly Grass (1,2) – Muhlenbergia capillaris

Panic Grass (1,3) – Panicum virgatum                                    Indiangrass (1,2) – Sorghastrum nutans

Sedges and Rushes

Lurid Sedge (3) – Carex lurida                                                  Fringed Sedge (3) – Carex crinita

White-topped Sedge (3) – Rhynchospora latifolia                    Woolgrass (3) - Scirpus cyperinus

You may utilize any of the following websites to research your plants.  If you wish to use another site for information you must get approval from your teacher.

http://www.wildflower.org/plants-main

http://www.southeasternflora.com/common_list.php

http://ncbg.unc.edu/native-southeastern-plants

http://ncwildflower.org/plant_galleries/index

http://www.catawbariverkeeper.org/issues/stormwater/rain-gardens