We’ve planted native species in the rain gardens at Capitol Square. Check out the pictures:
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I can’t wait to the gardens in the spring when all is in bloom!
Here’s a rendering showing the location of the rain gardens. (Click on the image for a larger view.)
For more general information on rain gardens, check out this post. And for a list of plants that we used in our rain garden, check out this post.
Posted in Uncategorized
Are you curious what plants we’re using to green the Capitol Grounds? Check out the lists below for the plants used in the Bell Tower Rain Gardens (which are close to completion) and the Bus Loop Green Street.
Bell Tower Rain Gardens
| TREES | |
| Chionanthus virginicus ‘Grancy Graybeard’ | Fringetree |
| SHRUBS | |
| Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’ (‘Nana’, ‘Compacta’) | Dwarf Winterberry |
| Cornus alba ‘Regnzam’ (Red Gnome) | Red Twig Dogwood |
| Ilex glabra ‘Shamrock’ | Shamrock Inkberry |
| Itea virginica ‘Little Henry’ | Virginia Sweetspire |
| Hibiscus moscheutos (H. palustris) | Rose Mallow |
| GRASSES AND FERNS | |
| Onoclea sensibilis | Sensitive Fern |
| Dryopteris filix-mas | Male Fern |
| Athyrium filix-femina | Lady Fern |
| Onoclea sensibilis | Sensitive Fern |
| Juncas inflexus ‘Blue Arrows’ | Hard Rush |
| Carex flaccosperma | Thinfruit Sedge |
| Carex pensylvanica | Pennsylvania sedge |
| Juncus effusus | Common Rush, Soft Rush |
Bus Loop (Capitol Street) Green Street Bioretention Planters
| SHRUBS | |
| Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’ (‘Nana’, ‘Compacta’) | Dwarf Winterberry |
| Clethra alnifolia ‘Hummingbird’ | Summersweet Clethra |
| Ilex glabra ‘Shamrock’ | Shamrock Inkberry |
| GRASSES | |
| Juncas inflexus ‘Blue Arrows’ | Hard Rush |
| Juncus effusus | Common Rush, Soft Rush |
| Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’ | Red Switch Grass |
| Carex buchananii | Leatherleaf Sedge |
Plant species native to Virginia and the Piedmont region were utilized for this project. Why native plants? There are many benefits.
Natives are adapted to our regional physiographic conditions and climate, therefore, they are able to thrive with minimal attention. Exotic, non-native plants generally require more attention and maintenance, and can sometimes become invasive in the landscape.
The use of native plants on a site also contributes to biodiversity and important ecosystem functions, such as providing wildlife habitat. Many serve as hosts to pollinators and other beneficial insects. Having evolved in our area, these plants respond well to native soil conditions. They can also help to build and improve the soil through their growth. In rain gardens, native plants that are adapted to wet or dry conditions, work to process excess nutrients and pollutants contained in stormwater runoff.
The first “green street” on Richmond’s Capitol Square is complete! Let’s take a look…
First off, here’s the “before picture”. This is at the sidewalk on Capitol Street, a.k.a. the Bus Loop.
Now, check out the drawing below (click on it to view a larger version). You can see that the sidewalk was extended and rain garden planters were installed to capture and filter stormwater. There’s also what this drawing refers to as an “infiltration gallery” underneath the rain garden planters. To better understand the various underground components that were installed to help filter the runoff, let’s take a look at the whole process.
First, the sidewalk and street were demolished to make room for digging a few deep trenches.
These trenches were then filled with modular tanks and drainage stone.
Modular tanks before installation
Photo Credit: VA DGS
Then the concrete planters are installed and the brick walkway is filled in around the planters.
Photo Credit: VA DGS
Photo Credit: VA DGS
Then native plants are added to the rain garden planters (see planting scheme in first drawing for species types).
Photo Credit: VA DGS
So the planters will capture stormwater runoff, which will be filtered into the modular tanks. Then the filtered water will be released back into the soil. The tanks can hold about 33,000 gallons of water.
Posted in Construction Updates
The pervious terraced steps are now complete! Check out this slideshow for before, progress, and after pictures of the terraced steps and pervious walkway.
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Posted in Construction Updates
If you live in the City of Richmond, you are probably aware that a Stormwater Utility was established in 2009. This annual fee is based on the amount of impervious surface that you have on your property. These funds are used to help implement a stormwater management plan, as required by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Did you know that you can get a reduction in your fee while also helping the City of Richmond with reducing polluted runoff? The city now offers “stormwater credits” to both residential and non-residental properties that implement “Green practices”. Examples of green practices are rain gardens, rain barrels, and pervious pavers.
So check out this website for more detailed information on what to do to receive a credit: http://www.richmondgov.com/PublicUtilities/StormwaterCredits.aspx
This video by WRIR news also has some great information.
We’d love to hear from you if you decide to implement some practices to apply for the credits.
Posted in General Info, Greening Practices
As we are hard at work installing rain gardens on Capitol Square, we wanted to share with you some tips for installing a rain garden at your home (or business). Rain gardens are an effective and relatively low cost solution to reducing stormwater runoff. Basically, it’s a low-lying area with water-tolerant plants that allows rain water to soak into the ground. You can place your rain garden near your downspout (but at least 10 ft from the house) to catch roof runoff.
Here’s some more tips:
- Home rain gardens are typically 100 to 300 square feet, depending on drainage area, slope, and soil type. You can check out “Rain Gardens: A How-To Manual for Homeowners” for guidelines on calculating rain garden size. Keep on mind that these are guidelines to capture 100% of the runoff for an average rainfall, you can always put in a smaller rain garden if needed.
- The depth of a rain garden is between 4 and 8 inches.
- If you have clay soil (sticky and clumpy), then you may need to amend your soil with sand or compost to allow the water to soak in better.
- Check out this Native Plants for Rain Gardens publication to choose plants for your rain garden. You can also find Rain Garden Templates (such as the one shown below) for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed region at the Low Impact Development Center site.
Rain Garden Design Template from www.lowimpactdevelopment.org
What about you? Have you had any experience installing a rain garden on your property? Are you planning on one in the future? We’d love to hear from you, so leave your comments below!
Posted in Greening Practices
Check it out. The pervious brick steps are a few steps closer to completion.
The contractors have also begun preparing for the rain gardens.
I know it doesn’t look very pretty right now but imagine this:
Posted in Construction Updates
Scenic Virginia, a non-profit that advocates for the conservation of Virginia’s scenic resources, recently honored its 2010 Scenic Awards winners at a gala on Capitol Square. And guess who won an award?! That’s right, the Greening of Virginia’s Capitol project received the Creative Scenic Enhancement Award. At the gala, Scenic Virginia noted that this project touches on two of their passions – beautification and a healthy James River. Bert Jones of the Department of General Services accepted the award and noted the collaborative spirit of all project partners to help make this “dream project” a reality.
If you want to learn about the other award recipients and see pictures from the awards ceremony, visit here: http://www.scenicva.org/2010.html.
Thank you Scenic Virginia!!
Posted in Events
The Greening of Virginia’s Capitol project has been selected to participate in the Sustainable Sites Initiative™ Pilot Program. The Sustainable Sites Initiative, or SITES™ as it is referred to, is a new rating system under development by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the US Botanical Garden for site and landscape projects, and is similar to the LEED green building rating system. SITES projects focus on sustainable practices in site selection, water use, soils and vegetation management, materials selection, human health and well-being, construction, and operations and maintenance. The Greening of Virginia’s Capitol project was one of only 160 chosen world-wide and in 34 US states to participate in the program. There are four SITES pilot projects in Virginia. The Pilot Program officially concludes in June of 2012 and is anticipated to then be officially rolled into the USGBC LEED rating system. For more information on all pilot projects and general information on the rating system, please click here: http://www.sustainablesites.org/pilot/
On Virginia’s Capitol Square and the surrounding Richmond City streets, the innovative practices using vegetation and permeable paving systems to reduce stormwater runoff, harvest rainwater, and improve the urban environment, allowed the project to become a prime candidate for the SITES Pilot Project Program. Along with improving the health of natural systems in the James River watershed, the project also addresses issues of social, cultural, and regional economic sustainability. Throughout the design and construction of the project, documentation will be submitted to SITES in order to achieve certification.
Current work on the site as of November 2010 includes the construction of permeable paver walkways using permeable clay pavers (brick) that work within the historic guidelines of this site.
The brick pervious walkway is almost finished!
Construction on the Capitol Steps, the Bell Tower Rain Gardens, and the curbside bioretention planters at the Bus Loop are to begin later this year. Design for the stormwater planters and street trees to be located along 9th and 10th Streets has been completed and construction is expected to begin in early 2011.
Posted in Construction Updates, General Info
Meet our contractor! Messer Landscape of Virginia was awarded the contract bid. They are a professional land development services organization that has clients such as SunTrust, City of Richmond, and Virginia Commonwealth University.
This week they are beginning work on the project. First up is the terrace steps walkway.
Terrace Steps before Retrofit
Here, the steps will be replaced with permeable brick pavers. A new walkway that connects the top of the terrace steps to the existing walkway that goes towards the Bell Tower will also be installed – using pervious brick pavers too of course. These pervious pavers will allow the water to soak into the ground underneath instead of just run off down the stairs during storm events such as the one we’re having right now. The walkway will be installed first, to allow for an alternative path while the steps are under renovation.
There are other options for pervious surfaces, such as porous concrete blocks. You can check out this study which compares runoff volume and the pros and cons for four different types of pervious pavements. For more technical information, here is a porous pavement fact sheet.
With the large amount of impervious surface in Richmond, we hope that residential and commercial property owners join in with the state and city in trying to retrofit our impervious surfaces with porous surfaces.
Stay tuned…we’ll be documenting the progress on Capitol Grounds with pictures and periodic updates!
Posted in Construction Updates
