Dixie School Rain Garden: Winter has come to the Loop

Welcome!

In fall of 2007, the landscape architecture firm of April Philips Design Works, Inc. and the landscape construction company of Cagwin & Dorward, in conjunction with Dixie Elementary School and numerous donors and volunteers, completed a Rain Garden in the drop off loop at Dixie Elementary School in San Rafael, California. The beautification project is a demonstration garden that educates the students and community about ecology, sustainability, as well as being a case study garden to advance sustainable landscaping industry practices beyond the current status quo. We especially wish to thank the Dixie Home and School Club and the Dixie School District for their generosity and support.

Located in a 3,800 sq foot median within the school’s main entry and vehicular drop-off, the derelict looking landscape had never been developed or planted due to insufficient school funding and water conservation requirements. The design team chose to design a garden that would reflect its Mediterranean, coastal bioregion and meet the following goals: 100% zero waste, pesticide free, rely on predominantly native vegetation, use only organic soil amendments to increase permeability and water retention of the local soils. In addition, to use only local recycled and salvaged materials, total reliance on seasonal rain water instead of irrigation and to be designed and built by 100% volunteer effort in order to be economically viable.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Winter has come to the Loop

Many have noticed the cold climate that has entered the Bay Area. It brings that Holiday feeling. The winter frost has also come to the loop. We'd like to thank Paramount Group/Morgan Stanley for donating plants from the One Market Roof Garden Renovation Project. Thanks also to April, Gary and Roy for planting and coordinating the new plantings.
We wish you Happy Holidays and a Great New Year.

1 comment:

Luana Navarro said...: The loop is really coming along. I often take walks by the school and I am always excited to see the changes. I know gardens take some time to mature, so I am looking forward to watching this garden grow. Great job April and Gary. Thanks to Roy too for the additional planting help. Love it!; January 5, 2009 at 11:59 AM

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It is a garden that captures and percolates rain water into the garden soil and groundwater. The garden thrives on just sunshine, wind, and rain, without chemical fertilizers and little to no supplemental water.The basin temporarily traps the water, allowing the soil and plant material to work their cleansing magic. The soil is porous enough to absorb water within 48 hours. This keeps the garden from becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Native plants work best in rain gardens because they are uniquely adapted to live through extremes of moisture and temperature, while their long roots are helpful for water infiltration. A rain garden can be large or small, and almost any size or shape. Even a small rain garden can make a difference. They require very little maintenance and provide attractive habitat for butterflies, birds and people!

Before the areas we now live, work and play were developed, the rain was absorbed by trees and native plants, soaked into the ground where it replenished groundwater and streams. Today, buildings, roads, parking lots and other hard surfaces prevent rain from infiltrating into soils. When it rains, stormwater washes over impervious surfaces picking up pollutants along the way and washing them into rivers and streams. Stormwater runoff that isn't properly managed can cause flooding, erosion, destroy habitat and contribute to combined sewer overflows (CSOs).

Dixie School Rain Garden

Welcome!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Winter has come to the Loop

1 comment:

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