Appreciation post: How my street in Philly changed in just 3 years with a rain garden

I moved onto Marshall Street in Philly about 3 years ago, and the block was basically a concrete jungle with trash cans everywhere and water pooling after every rain. The city put in a rain garden at the end of the block maybe 2 years back, and the difference is wild. Before, you'd see standing water for days after a storm, and the gutters were always clogged with leaves and plastic bags. Now, the water just disappears into the garden, and the plants that grew in there actually attract bees and birds. Neighbors started picking up more too, maybe because it looked nicer. But I'm wondering if this is a real fix or just a band-aid for bigger stormwater problems. Has anyone else seen a rain garden project change their block, or did it turn into a weed mess after a year?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_simon5d ago

Oh man, rain gardens are the best thing since sliced bread until you forget they exist and they turn into a jungle of mystery weeds. My neighbor's rain garden started off all nice with these little flowers, then a year later it looked like something out of a horror movie with vines crawling up the mailbox. But honestly, even that mess still soaked up water better than the cracked asphalt we had before, so maybe a band-aid is better than a gaping wound? You're right to be skeptical about the bigger stormwater problem though, especially in Philly where the pipes are probably held together with hopes and prayers.

margareto265d ago

Totally agree with @the_simon, rain gardens are like that New Year's resolution to get in shape - looks great on paper then you forget about it by February. Ngl, my own attempt at one was basically me buying a bunch of discounted plants from Home Depot, tossing them in a hole, and calling it a day. Honestly, three months later it was a weed jungle with a few sad tulips poking through, but you know what? It still soaked up puddles like a champ after a storm. Tbh, I'd rather have a disaster garden that actually works than a perfect lawn that floods my basement every time it rains.