Benton County’s First Rain Garden Officially Opened June 16
Community creates a beautiful solution to rain run-off problems with help from Fiskars Project Orange Thumb
Bentonville, AK – Ribbon-cutting ceremonies are usually best enjoyed under sunny skies, but a little precipitation wouldn’t dampen spirits as local residents gather at R.E. Baker Elementary School to celebrate the completion of Benton County’s First Rain Garden at 9 a.m. on June 16.
On the contrary, a summer shower would give attendees a real-life demonstration of how this innovative garden plot, created with support from a Project Orange Thumb grant from Fiskars Garden & Outdoor Living, can help preserve water and protect the environment in the face of growing development pressure.
“Rain gardens like this one are an important tool to manage urban run-off, because they capture rainwater and allow it soak slowly into the ground,” explains master gardener Chari Cross, who developed the new rain garden along with Mark Bray and the Benton County Master Gardeners.
Without landscape features like rain gardens, rainfall races over rooftops, parking lots and roads on its way to streams and wetlands – often picking up pollutants that compromise water quality and threaten wildlife. “A rain garden like this one is a relatively simple, natural solution that’s both effective and beautiful,” Cross notes.
Benton County’s plot is sized to manage roof run-off from the 590-student elementary school. A portion of rainfall is captured in a rain barrel for later irrigation use, while the remainder percolates gently into the ground through a layer of non-floating cedar mulch and a special mixture of topsoil, compost and sand. “We planted the garden with survivors – hardy perennials native to the Ozarks like cone flowers, black-eyed susan and viburnum that can handle drought and high temperatures.”
Support for Benton County’s First Rain Garden, including $1,500 in Fiskars garden tools and another $800 for plants, seeds and much, was provided through Project Orange Thumb, a community gardening grant program awarded by Fiskars Garden & Outdoor Living. Designed to encourage group involvement, neighborhood beautification, sustainable agriculture and horticultural education across the United States, Project Orange Thumb has provided more than 100 community groups with over $200,000 to complete their own neighborhood gardens.
“Of the 500 applications we received this year, 13 were awarded grants for creative projects that will involve and benefit their communities,” said Fiskars Garden & Outdoor Living President, Paul Tonnesen. “We’re excited to help support efforts like the Benton County Rain Garden, which benefits the people, the school and the environment. Even better, we hope that projects like this inspire groups across the U.S. to create their own special community spaces.”