Second Rain Garden Completed in Town of Saugerties

Ten Master Gardener volunteers completed the second of three rain gardens to be installed in Ulster County on Thursday May, 21 on the grounds of the Saugerties Senior Center located at 207 Market Street in the Town of Saugerties.

Several varieties of native plants were used in the 400 square foot rain garden by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County’s Master Gardeners with assistance from program associates from Rutgers Cooperative Extension and Community Horticulture staff; Dona Crawford and Teresa Rusinek from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County.

Rain gardens are landscaped, shallow depressions that are designed to intercept, treat and infiltrate storm water at the source before it becomes runoff. The garden is designed to help contain the storm water which is directed to the garden by the installation of drain pipes from the gutters of the building. All of the planting and design was done by the Master Gardeners. Plant material was obtained from Catskill Native Nursery in Kerhonkson. Croswell Enterprises provided rich garden mulch to complete the project.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County through the Master Gardener program and assisted by Rutgers Extension applied and received a grant from the USDA to create three demonstration rain gardens by 2010. The first rain garden was installed in May 2008 at the Town of Ulster Town Hall and has since recharged over 15,000 gallons of storm water. In 2010, a rain garden will be installed at the Rosendale Library.

Learn more about rain gardens at “What’s a Rain Garden”, a workshop presented by Cornell Cooperative Extension Ulster County’s Horticulture Educator, Teresa Rusinek on Wednesday, May 27 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at the Ellenville Public Library and Museum located at 40 Center Street in Ellenville.

For more information on Rain Gardens call, Dona Crawford at, 845-340-3990 or visit online at http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/ulster.

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Image 1: The completed rain garden at the Saugerties Senior Center
Image 2: Rutgers Associate, Amy Boyijian and Master Gardener volunteers Barbara Darbin and Barbara Bravo installing the rain garden.