Is the rain garden working?
Karen: Yes, definitely. It was a bit startling at first to see the rain garden fill up with water during a heavy rain, but since the water drained very quickly, I could see that the water was percolating into the soil just as planned. The plants within the rain garden seem to have thrived. When I last checked we had prairie smoke, golden alexanders, columbine, wild geranium, black-eyed Susans, prairie dropseed, and little bluestem coming back nicely. We may make some adjustments later this spring if some of the other plants don’t reappear.
After the rain garden was installed, we mentioned some basement water issues we were having on the northeast corner of the Kuhl House (the rain garden is on the northwest corner). Jeremy’s team decided to create a berm on the east side of the Kuhl House in an attempt to redirect rain water away from the foundation. The problem hasn’t gone away completely, but less water is coming into the basement.
Since rain gardens are small-scale methods of managing storm water runoff, it’s difficult to quantify the environmental contribution of this rain garden, but if rain gardens were installed in strategic places around campus, they could really make a difference in the amount of runoff that reaches the Iowa River. Our garden is working in terms of how it is filtering water and as a bonus, it is beautiful to look at.
The Kuhl House also has a small prairie garden. How did this come about?
Holly: After publishing so many books on tallgrass prairie restoration, we were dying to tear out the boring yews and daylilies around our foundation. With help and permission from UI Facilities Management, in 2008 we did tear them out, brought in lots of dirt and mulch, and planted tallgrass wildflowers and grasses. We’re still pulling up daylilies, and we need to rein in our brown-eyed Susans and make sure that the cup plants don’t completely take over, but our garden is just gorgeous all summer long, it’s becoming a haven for migrating butterflies, and we are convinced that the long roots of the prairie plants are helping to keep our basement dry.
How are you maintaining the rain garden?
Holly: Karen and I are weeding and clipping regularly—since I’ve retired and am no longer at the Press every day, it’s a pleasure to be able to partner with Karen in the garden—and we’ll continue to monitor the original plants and add new plants as needed. Facilities Management has been in touch with Jeremy Bril and a plan is underway to add mulch and dig a trench around the berm. We’re interested in looking at other ways to handle runoff from our roof and to make our yard even greener. We are considering the possibility of enriching the soil in the front and back yards with organic matter through deep-tine aeration. Stay tuned!
Karen Copp, associate director, design and production manager, UI Press
Holly Carver, former director, current Bur Oak Books editor, UI Press
