In search of the fairest garden
Angie Hong
When the Washington Conservation District (WCD) approached the county fair board in 2006 about building four demonstration raingardens at the Washington County Fairgrounds, some board members were a bit skeptical. In addition to the one week per year that people flock to the county fair, the fairgrounds are also host to a variety of events, including horse shows, canine agility competitions and llama festivals. These raingardens would need to be attractive, effective and able to survive with no maintenance from the grounds staff and only occasional upkeep from Master Gardeners and WCD staff.
Three years later, the gardens are thriving in spite of the drought and seemingly harsh conditions at the fairgrounds. According to WCD Manager Jay Riggs, “We watered them a few times during the month after planting and since then, they’ve been on their own.” Master Gardeners like to point out the stark contrast between the turf grass surrounding the gardens, which yellowed early in the summer, and the lush raingardens, which are blooming nearly six months of the year.
The raingardens perform an important function, though, in addition to their aesthetic appeal. Planted alongside a large exhibit building, the gardens collect rainwater as it runs off the roof, down the downspouts and into the center of the gardens via specially designed pop-up devices. The water pools in the gardens for a few hours until it eventually soaks into the ground, unlike the runoff on the other side of the building, which becomes a torrent of muddy stormwater that heads straight for the parking area. With a traditional perennial raingarden, a shrub raingarden and two native plant raingardens, the demonstration plantings showcase a variety of styles suitable for both residential and commercial settings.
Not to be outdone by a county fair, the Minnesota State Fair now has several demonstration raingardens of its own, both inside and outside the Eco Experience exhibit at the Progress Center. The Eco Experience is a popular destination for fairgoers looking for cutting-edge, environmentally-friendly services and products as well as the latest in solar, wind and other technologies. Raingardens planted outside the Progress Center in 2007 capture about half of the runoff from the building’s roof, in addition to providing an urban oasis for butterflies and energetic children.
Inside the building, Southview Design is creating a colorful raingarden for this year’s exhibit that will be positioned prominently alongside the Net Zero Eco House. A green roof and porous pavers will also be displayed at the Eco House, providing visitors with three different options for capturing stormwater runoff from their homes. Blue Thumb – Planting for Clean Water program partners will be on hand throughout the state fair to answer questions about raingardens and direct people toward resources in their local communities for grants and design assistance to install their own raingardens. Will the fairest raingarden of 2009 be found at the “Great Minnesota Get Together” or a local county fair? Visit them all and you be the judge. For more information on the Eco Experience, visit www.pca.state.mn.us/ecoexperience. To learn more about raingardens and local resources, go to www.BlueThumb.org.
Angie Hong is an educator for the East Metro Water Resource Education Program, which includes Brown’s Creek, Comfort Lake – Forest Lake, Middle St. Croix, Ramsey Washington-Metro, Rice Creek, South Washington and Valley Branch Watersheds, Cottage Grove, Dellwood, Forest Lake, Lake Elmo, Stillwater, West Lakeland and Willernie, Washington County and the Washington Conservation District.
Posted: August 7, 2009