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.
[...] gardens, check out this post. And for a list of plants that we used in our rain garden, check out this post. Advertisement GA_googleAddAttr("AdOpt", "1"); GA_googleAddAttr("Origin", "other"); [...]
By: Rain Gardens at Capitol Square « Greening Virginia's Capitol on January 25, 2012
at 3:52 pm