The Rain Garden was originally constructed and planted in October of 2007 by
Master Gardener Volunteers. Steven Apfelbaum of Applied Ecological Services donated the initial plants for this garden from Taylor Creek Restoration Nurseries in Brodhead, WI. The Rain Garden is in an open, full sun, plot with
a 6-inch depth and a berm wall on all sides. In 2017, the Rain Garden was
"refurbished" following a planting design for a full sun, clay soil
rain garden selected from UW-EX Publication GWQ037, Rain Garden-a
how-to Manual for Homeowners prepared by Roger Bannerman: https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Stormwater/documents/RgManual.pdf. The design creates a matrix of sedge spaced evenly between the forb species,
and has 3 groupings of taller plants that form focal points. The majority of the
original plantings were incorporated in the new design.
Currently, the Rain Garden contains over 200 plants and 33 species: 6 early season, 21 mid season and 7 late season species. The wild quinine and pale purple coneflower are native to Wisconsin and considered endangered species by the DNR. Over 260 sedge plants grown from seed were added in the fall of 2017 and summer of 2018.
A weather station is installed in the middle of the Rain Garden as part of a network of sensors around the U.S. Data from the weather station is reported on the Weather Underground website in the listing for the Dane County LWRD Personal Weather Station. Teaching Garden volunteers can use this data to 1) get weather conditions for our exact location, 2) see comprehensive dashboards and graphs of our station data, and 3) view historical data for our location
Rain Garden Team
Diane Amundson is the team leader for the Rain Garden.
Currently, the Rain Garden contains over 200 plants and 33 species: 6 early season, 21 mid season and 7 late season species. The wild quinine and pale purple coneflower are native to Wisconsin and considered endangered species by the DNR. Over 260 sedge plants grown from seed were added in the fall of 2017 and summer of 2018.
A weather station is installed in the middle of the Rain Garden as part of a network of sensors around the U.S. Data from the weather station is reported on the Weather Underground website in the listing for the Dane County LWRD Personal Weather Station. Teaching Garden volunteers can use this data to 1) get weather conditions for our exact location, 2) see comprehensive dashboards and graphs of our station data, and 3) view historical data for our location
Rain Garden Team
Through hands on experience and sharing knowledge with
other master gardeners interested in Rain Gardens, team members learn about:
- rain garden benefits to water
quality
- rain garden habitats for
birds, butterflies and beneficial insects
- selecting plants for a rain
garden and starting plants from seed
- construction guidelines
(location, size & depth, soil types, grading, berm)
- resources on Rain Gardens
Diane Amundson is the team leader for the Rain Garden.
Since 2011, Diane has been involved with the Teaching Garden and has grown vegetables and flowers for the annual Plant Sale held at the Extension each May. In 2015, Diane served as the coordinator of plantings for UW Extension exhibits at Farm Technology Days. In 2017 Diane joined the Ice Age Trail Alliance's mobile skills crew working on new sections of the trail. Diane has held the position of Biological Sciences Lab Technician at the US Dairy Forage Research Center since 1988. Diane and Jane serve on the Annual Plant Dane Rain Garden Workshop Plant Selection Committee.
One team is responsible for the care and maintenance of both the Rain Garden and Demonstration Prairie under the leadership of Diane Amundson. To join this team, contact Karen Allenstein. 2024 team members are:
Janis Noonan, 7th year
Doreen Treuden, 3rd year
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