PHYTOREMEDIC RAIN GARDENS:
RESIDENTIAL APPLICATIONS IN THE PIEDMONT REGION OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES
This graduate thesis sets out to examine the possibilities and limitations of phytoremedic rain gardens, in residential applications of the Southeastern United States Piedmont region. The thesis includes a literature review of the history of storm water control measures, fundamentals of residential rain garden design and phytoremediation, exploration of the aesthetic values of rain gardens and an experimental design studying four plant species.
Download Thesis Below
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Plant SpeciesBoltonia asteroides 'Pink Beauty'- false aster
Notable features of Boltonia asteroides ‘Pink Beauty’ are its compact form of 3 to 4 feet in height and pale pink flowers.
Coreopsis pubescens ‘Sunshine Superman’- star tickseed
Coreopsis pubescens ‘Sunshine Superman’ is a compact plant with a height of 10 to 12 inches. The flowers are yellow approximately 2 inches in diameter with yellow rays and orange disk centers.
Solidago sphacelata 'Golden Fleece'- goldenrod
The plant flowers in mid-summer to late fall and produces bright yellow flowers borne in dense plume-like panicles. When not in flower the foliage form, is low-growing and dark green creating a groundcover like appearance.
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae 'Purple Dome'- New England aster
‘Purple Dome’ maintains a mounding habit, grows 36 inches wide and produces a large number of semi-double 1 ½ inch wide deep blue flowers. The plants season of bloom is late summer to fall.
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Experiment Site Construction
This thesis takes in-depth look at four species of plant material not commonly used in rain garden design and not adequately analyzed. Four species selected for this experiment will be trialed at a dry detention pond at the University of Georgia’s Greenhouse facility/UGArden site. The species will be installed at different elevations in the dry detention pond and monitored with soil moisture sensors. The research output hopes to produce a correlation between individual plant species survivability and soil moisture levels. This study should contribute in identifying plant species suited for rain gardens, which receive irregular inundations of storm water and periods of drought. These plant species are all suited for residential rain garden applications based on their non-toxic/non-invasive nature, handsome foliage and attractive showy flowering habit.
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