Blake Whittington

Thanks for your photos Chris.  Deadrick street looks great!
Kevin– yes, we are installing planters over storm inlets. 
Any feedback is appreciated.

What is the grade and the largest amount of water you are dealing with? The planter needs to be designed to handle whatever nature throws at you.  You can retrofit the drain like Chris said to become the overflow at the down end of your planter. If you have a lot of slope, check dams can hold the water and pool it to infiltrate fully. Then the…[Read more]

Are you talking about installing a planter over a storm inlet, or a storm line? 

We are designing stormwater bioretention planters for a downtown.  We want to place a planter where a storm drain currently exists.  Can a planter be designed over a storm drain and be an effective bioretention measure — i.e. slowing down rainwater but not completely infiltrating?  Appreciate any input.

John, thanks for sharing.  Do you have any site photos, from these projects, that you’re able to post here?

If anybody here has done any public work involving raingardens in Florida let me know! Since I have been working for my firm here in Tampa we have completed 4 to 5 significant “raingarden” type projects; one of them being a LAP FDOT streetscape for Tarpon Springs. Public work involving stormwater management in a creative way is far and few…[Read more]

Glenn, and all
True that clients like to see green plants in the summer. Which is why some designers advocate a mix of native (80%) and non-native (20%) plants. The non-natives – which may require some summer water – stay green while the natives go summer brown.

Jon Q. asked about construction documents for green street work. After mining Portland’s BES site, i found a lot. Very helpful.

Since many of our native plants go dormant in the summer as a survival technique to dry summers, I’m saying “advantageous for the summer-dry months” as it relates to the clients who prefer to see green plants and leaves still hanging onto their Buckeyes. Alternatively, Juncus, Western Sword Fern, and Iris, for instance, often receive summer water…[Read more]

Glenn Do you really need to irrigate these plants that you mention in summer? They are native to N California, and so in a “natural” context do not get any summer water. Why would you need to irrigate them in a cultured situation?

Anyone going to LABASH?

I know many of you are concerned with the cost of Labash….well let me reassure you about what you are getting for the money!!!

2 dinners fully catered
2 lunches
Open bar for 3 nights…come on guys you can’t beat this
Tours (fees included in reg price)
Transportation to all of our events and tours
Amazing Lectures by: Mark Rios, Walter Hood,…[Read more]

Ashley- In urban settings, supplemental irrigation is advantageous for the summer-dry months. Specifically, I’ve used inline subsurface drip. Quality growing medium like compost is important too, along with mycorrhizal fungi applications to help plants thrive through root establishment. Some native plant material I have used are: Juncus…[Read more]

does anyone know how rain gardens thrive in the Bay Area? I am wondering because right now, its the rainy season, so everything is getting a lot of water – but when it is summer and dry, how do the plants in the rain garden get their water? What plants do you suggest putting in the rain garden?

Hello all
For those of you in the San Fran Bay Area registration for the tour of East Bay native plant gardens just opened. Went last year, will go again this year. http://www.BringingBacktheNatives.net

Semiarundaria fastuosum is a good screen variety. Dense and upright.

tal_sketchup.pdf

Hey all you SketchUp users out there! There’s a hands-on all-day workshop on Modeling Residential Sites with Slope in Google SketchUp (for intermediate/advanced users) coming to San Francisco Feb. 20th, 2010
Includes rubyscripts and tips for smoothly integrating your CAD files.

is there a study group preparing for the March A B and D Sections? LETS HAVE AT IT>

Two years after clearing the invasives in my part of the creekbed in my backyard – you know, plants like Arundo and Tamarisk (how did that get there?) and Washingtonia palms (we all know how that got there) – the birds were kind enough to plant 3 Quercus agrifolia and a Toyon that is now about 12′ high. None of these are requiring additional water…[Read more]