Let Us Promise You a Rain Garden
Fall 2010
Two rain gardens were successfully installed in Stroudsburg on September 27, the first day of real rain in three months. The gardens captured and held the rain well. Three days later, when hurricane Nicole hit, 6 inches of rain didn’t faze the gardens.
Cliff and Robin Lively, at 138 Broad Street received a 145 square foot rain garden extending along their front yard on the Clermont Avenue side. They selected a variety of flowering water-loving perennials and shrubs that will provide color spring, summer and fall.
Maria and Herbert Jacobs, at 120 Hemlock Road received a 160 square foot kidney-shaped rain garden along the street front and parking area of their yard. The plants in their rain garden were also selected for a changing color display.
Wayne Ross of Ross and Ross Nursery in ParadiseValley installed the gardens. He also installed pipes from the front downspouts of each house into the gardens. Wayne installed rain gardens at the Barrett-Paradise Friendly Library in Cresco last summer and would like to see more rain gardens capturing run-off to recharge groundwater and protect streams.
Let Us Promise you a RainGarden is a project of the Brodhead Watershed Association in partnership with the Borough of Stroudsburg and Monroe County Conservation District. The project began with a workshop for Stroudsburg Borough residents on what a rain garden is and how to install one. Trish Attardo, Watershed Specialist for the Monroe County Conservation District, gave the workshop. A rain barrel was given away at the workshop.
Borough residents then had an opportunity to apply for a rain garden for their property. Two homes were selected based on their visibility and suitability for a rain garden. Tom Harley, BWA board member and surveyor with Niclaus Engineering, calculated the size, based on the roof area that drained to the downspout that would feed the rain garden.
Lori Colgan, volunteer member from BWA worked with the homeowners to select the location of the gardens and plants. Signs describing the gardens to passers-by will be installed shortly.
We look forward to a tour of the gardens in the spring.