It’s been more than three years since a rain garden was installed along the east side of the Panorama West clubhouse parking lot. Even though 2020 hasn’t brought a lot of rain to Lake Panorama, the native plants in the rain garden have been putting on a show this year.
Some plants bloomed their first year in the garden, but it generally takes two to three years for native plants to hit their stride. That’s because natives first establish deep root systems, before substantial growth happens above ground.
A rain garden is a perennial flower garden strategically located to capture runoff from rain that falls on parking lots, roofs, driveways and yards. The idea of installing a demonstration rain garden first was discussed at a Friends of Lake Panorama board of directors meeting in 2016.
Derek Namanny, an urban conservationist with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, began working with the group that fall. He visited Lake Panorama to look for possible rain garden locations, and found an existing water drain on the east side of the Panorama West parking lot that receives rainfall runoff. Namanny designed a garden that covers 500 square feet surrounding this drain.
“Rain gardens help reduce surface runoff and protect water quality,” he said. “Runoff that travels to a rain garden is temporarily ponded, but it doesn’t stay ponded for long. Plants in the garden use the water, pollutants are filtered out, and the water percolates down through the soil, rather than running off into the lake and nearby streams and rivers.”
The cost of this project was about $2,500. In December 2016, the Guthrie County Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioners approved an application from Friends of Lake Panorama for $1,250 in cost-share funding for the rain garden. These funds were made available through Iowa’s Resource Enhancement and Protection program, better known as REAP.
The Lake Panorama Association provided site preparation assistance. Excavation was done before layers of rock, sand and soil were covered with a hardwood mulch. A biodegradable erosion blanket was placed over the mulch to keep it from washing away. Holes were cut in the blanket and the plants placed and watered by volunteers.
In 2018, large rocks were placed around the three elevated sides of the garden to help reduce weeds and protect the garden. Smaller river rock was placed along the west side.
An informational sign installed nearby explains how rain gardens help improve water quality. The Panorama West rain garden features 170 native plants in a dozen different varieties, that bloom at various times from spring to late fall. The sign shows the names and photos of eight varieties. Details on all 12 plant varieties are available HERE.