Boy Scouts help South River Federation Plant a Rain Garden

Thanks to the Chesapeake Bay Trust, Unity Gardens, and hardworking Boy Scouts, the South River Federation and Oak Grove Marina now have a beautiful new rain garden and a growing bio-retention area. The new 400 square foot rain garden captures polluted stormwater runoff from the adjacent parking lot.  The garden was completed in April with the help of an enthusiastic troop of Boy Scouts, their parents, and siblings.  The Scouts came out after school and worked hard to plant as many shrubs and trees as they could including: button bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), service berry (Amelanchier arborea), and sweet magnolia (Magnolia virginiana).  They did a great job planting, but before they got started, we had a lot of work to do!

The main body of the rain garden was constructed with the use of a bobcat.  Unlike regular gardens, rain gardens are bowl shaped which allows them to capture and temporarily hold water.  The bobcat was used to dig out the bowl as well as build the berms that support the garden and aid in controlling overflow.  A mixture of soil and compost were used to build the garden to help the water filter through the ground faster than the existing fill soil would have.   

Following construction of rain garden, adult volunteers placed cobble in specific areas to help control the flow of water and create stable outlets for overflow. Volunteers also spent time covering the site in woodchips and preparing the site for the planting with the Boy Scouts.

We didn’t stop with just the rain garden.  The Federation is continuing to expand the bio-retention area surrounding the garden and along the parking lot. Native trees were planted around the garden and on the slope next to the parking lot.  Not only will these trees help uptake stormwater and provide habitat, but they will help stabilize the slope next to the parking lot.

We are proud of our rain garden and invite you to stop by our office to say hi and see the garden!  A big thank you again goes to the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Unity Gardens for funding this project!