Raingarden Planning/Execution

The question most frequently asked about our rain garden is, "So what exactly is in there?" To which I usually respond with a stock phrase like, "Native Plants." With a few plant names I actually know sprinkled in there for good measure. I've decided to provide the definitive explanation here, with the planning maps we used to prepare for the project and a list of all the plants we ended up putting in. If I get really inspired I may even provide an up to date map of what's in the garden. . .but we'll see.


Common Name
Nodding Onion (Allium Cernuum)
Canada Anemone (Anemone Canadensis)
Columbine (Alquilegia Canadensis)
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias Tuberosa)
Short's Aster (Aster Shortii)
Boneset (Eupatorium Perfoliatum)
Early Sunflower (Heliopsis Helianthoides)
Great St. John's Wort (Hypericum Pyramidatum)
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia Cardinalis)
Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia Siphilitica)
Prairie Blazing Star
Common Ironweed
Purple Joe Pieweed
Red Milkweed
Blue Gentian
Wild Bergamot (Monarda Fistulosa)
White Prairie Clover (Petalostemum Candidum)
Purple Prairie Clover (Petalostemum Purpureum)
Mountain Mint (Virginianum)
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia Hirta)
Showy Goldenrod (Solidago Speciosa)
Common Hop Sedge (Carex Lupilina)
June Grass (Koeleria Cristata)
Northern Dropseed (Sporobolus Heterolepis)
Little Bluestem (Andropogon Scoparius)
Wild Golden Glow

Info about the US Courthouse Plaza

Once I realized I was going about my search all wrong and that I should have been looking for landscape architects, I located more information about the park I wrote about here.

The raised elements in the Martha Schwartz-designed plaza are security features intended to look like glacial drumlins, "a reflection of Minnesota's natural landscape." -- Because we all know that concrete barriers only serve to alienate people, where as big lumps of grass and huge faux logs make us all have happy glowing fuzzy spots inside when we find out they're security features. Not!

The plaza's won several awards:1996 National Design Citation from the General Services Administration, a 1999 Merit Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects, and a 2000 National Endowment for the Arts Federal Design Achievement Award.

The plaza's whimsical "Rockman" sculptures, that I enjoy so much were designed by Tom Otterness. While exploring his site, I came across this playground he was commissioned to make and felt I had to share. What an incredibly awesome playground to have! That's one lucky kid.

10 Miles (RT) by Bicycle

Opti and I biked with Matt to the relatively "new" Gold Medal Park, where we parted ways. Matt went on to run 21+ miles and we hung out in the Mill Ruins Park, Guthrie Theater and Gold Medal Park along West River Road.

Before we left I managed to capture a few creatures exploring our new Rhododendron. I've been talking about planting one in this shady corner of the house since we moved in and just never gotten around to it. Well Saturday morning I got around to it when I noticed this one on sale at Home Depot. Mr. Bumblebee and Mr. Ant seem to be enjoying it as much as I am. : )




We left the house and headed East on Lowry towards the Lowry Ave Bridge over the Mississippi (currently a big hole, because they're tearing the old one down), where we hooked a right and followed 2nd Ave until we got to the street with the skate park running along side it and made our way to West River Road (pictured below). A lot of this bike path has recently been repaved, so it's a really smooth ride. It is also part of the Grand Rounds and is a nice intersection free way to get to downtown (skyline is straight ahead).



I love the Grain Belt Sign so much I felt like sharing it with you. Every time I see it, I smile. Which is sort of funny because I can't even choke down half a bottle of the stuff. . .


Since Optimus needed a rest, his kind way of telling me he needed a bathroom in about 20 seconds, we headed into the Guthrie Theater to explore, and use their restrooms. He was enamored with the forever mirror effect in the men's room and with the cool "raining" faucets. Nearly as much with the Endless Bridge and it's sightline windows. Each one a perfect frame of some lovely bit of Landscape.

This escalator is super long, "but not as long as the one in DC Mom!"


"No, no, come and see this--it's so cool!"



Stone Arch Bridge and St. Anthony Falls


At the end of the "endless" bridge



The neat men's restroom





The Exterior



We HAD to visit the Mill Ruins Park and Mill City Museum both because Auntie Katie got married there, and because Optimus wanted to read about the place blowing up and then burning down.














The spiral Optimus was running down. Very theraputic to walk on I might add.


I had no idea this skate park existed until we biked past it on Sunday. Pretty cool location tho-right by the river and the train tracks. Too bad there isn't any shade, or port a johns.


Former truck door on a warehouse along 2nd Ave.

Progression of the Raingarden

We haven't gotten much rain lately--maybe almost an inch in the past week, which isn't really all that much. Optimus' rain gauge is handy for that sort of measurement.



Despite the lack of rain the garden seems to be doing fine. Most of these plants are drought hardy, so I don't worry about them either way. So far I've seen, Blue Lobela, Columbine, Mountain Mint, Black Eyed Susans, the monstrous tall yellow flowered plant we didn't think would do very well, but is doing better than most, hop sedge grass, and Blue Flag Iris have all started putting in appearances. It's going to be a colorful spring.





The newest addition to the garden is Optimus' cedar bird feeder that he made at the Spring Wingding. The birds haven't found it yet, but we keep checking.