Rain Garden Update

In August the rain garden got a much-needed facelift. Jeremy Bril and a team of University of Iowa engineering students rebuilt the berm—using mulch provided by the university—edged the perimeter, cleaned up the outlet on the rim, added a couple of stepping stones within the garden, and cleaned up the area by the downspout by taking away the plastic and adding some limestone. Thanks to support from UI Facilities Management and the Iowa Department of Agriculture, we are getting ready to aerate the soil in the Kuhl House yard in another effort to enrich and manage our small habitat. Newly blooming in the rain garden—and also in our prairie garden—are turtlehead, goldenrod, asters, and the ever-present cup plant. All signs point to an early frost, but we will hope to enjoy our garden for at least one more month.

UI Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering