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Patio Garden The patio garden surrounds the carriage house below the Bascom house. The carriage house is used for classes throughout the year including Native Plant School. Plantings around the carriage house use minimal watering except for natural rain fall. The patio is made of recycled brick and features a variety of planted containers. The hillside next to the patio is covered in a variety of sedges and rushes that prevent soil erosion. Below the patio a rain garden absorbs water from the surrounding rooftops and other impermeable surfaces through rainwater piped into nearby swales and surface runoff. Rain Garden Rain gardens function like miniature natural watersheds. They slow down, capture and absorb water using elements similar to those in nature: plants, rocks, shallow swales and depressions that hold water temporarily rather than let it quickly run away. Rain gardens improve water quality in lakes and rivers by reducing siltation, and they minimize flooding and loss of soil. They reduce costs associated with topsoil loss in agriculture and reduce erosion damage along river edges. Use of rain gardens also can save tax dollars by reducing the need for communities to build larger storm-water retention facilities. They provide beauty, natural diversity and wildlife habitat in areas that otherwise would be a monoculture of lawns, pavement, concrete culverts and storm drains. This landscaping style increasingly is used by homeowners, commercial and residential developments, and by cities for park beautification.
This Rain Garden was created in 2006 using native plants. The design was created based on the original topography to collect rain water from nearby buildings and provide a beautiful setting for an outdoor patio. More info about creating your own rain garden is available in our Native Landscaping Manual New Rain Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve, Winter 2007 MO Prairie Journal
A PDF of the Whitmire Wildflower Garden brochure is linked below:
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