Arden Rain Garden

Hillside Road, Wilmington

This rain garden is located in a homeowner's yard and collects runoff from uphill properties.

• Funded by: an EPA grant
• Cost:
• Designers: landscape architect Susan Mrugal and Dave Athey of TetraTech
• Size: 300 square feet
• Runoff area: Uphill neighboring properties
• Completed: 1998

Construction:

• Depth: about 4 inches below grade; excavated to a depth of 4 ½ feet
• Fill: a foot of sand was laid in the bottom; the rest was filled with a mix of excavated soil and sand
• Overflow: no designed outlet, observed to drain within 48 hours
• Plant material: Native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants

Lessons Learned:

• Construction gets messy so it is best to install it during renovation or remodeling
• If large machinery is used for excavation it can tear up the lawn and resodding may be necessary
• Volunteers from the neighborhood can help provide labor for installation in hopes that it will reduce flooding and erosion in their lawns as well

ACCESSIBILITY: The rain garden is available for viewing by the public at any time.

CONTACT: Marianne Cinaglia MCinaglia@aol.com

LOCATION: 2204 Hillside Road, Wilmington, DE Take I-95N; exit 10; left off ramp towards Arden; left on Hillside Road; garden at 2204 on left side of street.