Bloomfield Farm Rain-Garden Redesign

Historically, stormwater has been treated as a liability in the built environment. But the installation of a rain garden allows homeowners and organizations to view stormwater as an asset. Water that would otherwise be funneled into a complex system of pipes and ultimately released into our local streams or rivers, instead slowly infiltrates the soil of the garden, where it either recharges the existing ground water supply, or is taken up by the established plant community. My project examines two of the rain gardens already present on Bloomfield Farm. Both gardens experienced significant plant loss when the landscape plugs were installed, and as a result there are an abundance of invasive plant species on the site. My intention is to redesign both gardens so that they function effectively at water collection and infiltration, and add aesthetic value to Bloomfield Farm. Both gardens will be installed in April, 2017 with a community of plants native to Eastern North America that will look beautiful four seasons of the year and provide important benefits to pollinator species.