Sussex County, Delaware, Gets a Rain Garden at the

                              Governor Ross Mansion, Seaford, DE

 

The Spade & Trowel Garden Club has collaborated with the Seaford Historical Society and the Reclaim Our River Partnership in installation of a rain garden at the Historic Gov. Ross Mansion in Seaford. The rain garden, which is connected to one of the downspouts from the gutter system, will help capture storm water runoff and help recharge groundwater. Rain gardens are designed to capture and hold rainwater for 12 to 24 hours.

 

Sussex Soil Conservation District did the excavation and provided amendments for the soil and mulch for the project.

 

A $300 grant from Reclaim Our River, whose main partners are the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the Delaware Nature Society, covered the cost of the plants, which are native perennials. The Historical Society and the garden club chose the plants from a list of suitable plans that should be self-sustaining, for the most part. Among the choices were wintergreen, coneflower and black-eyed Susan, which will not only help take up nutrients and chemical pollutants, but will provide wildlife habitat and sustenance.

 

The rain garden was planted in early May by members of the Spade & Trowel Garden Club, several of whom are also members of the Historical Society.