A Rain Garden in the GCA Flower Show

The GCA Annual Meeting flower show Where The Wild Things Are was held in Columbus May 22nd- May 24th. The GCA invited each of the Zone X clubs to enter the educational component class #32, a native plant container rain garden  They provided a 22”x18” drawer to be used as the rain garden container.  The class was designed to educate show visitors about the benefits of a rain garden.  Rain gardens are “shallow landscaped depressions planted with perennials, grasses and shrubs.”  These gardens help conserve water and prevent flooding by absorbing run off.  The gardens help keep local waterways clean by filtering water.  Rain gardens also beautify neighborhoods and provide habitats for birds and pollinators.  For more information about rain gardens click here.

I chose to create a native shade garden for the GCA flower show.  The native plants included are Adiantum pedatum (maidenhair fern), Tiarella cordifolia (foam flower) Matteuccia struthiopteris (ostrich fern), Chelone glabra (white turtlehead) Heuchera x hydrida  (coral bells cinnamon stick and limeade).  I enjoyed learning about native rain gardens and how they are useful resources to clean and conserve water. 

Ed. Note: Jennifer won the novice award because she has never won an award at a flower show. She/SLGC were also awarded a second place within the rain garden class. There were 10 entries, one from each gca club in zone X. Congratulations, Jennifer!