Community Canopy Project

A rain garden full of native plants will now begin to soak up stormwater next to the Conshohocken Borough municipal building! Thanks so much to all who joined for a collaborative event with Friends of Conshohocken Parks and the Conshohocken Environmental Advisory Council.

We planted over 20 native shrubs and several hundred herbaceous wildflowers and grasses to fill the space. The water-loving plants, including most of the shrubs, went at the bottom of the rain garden, where water will pool and sink into the soil during large rain events. Species that prefer drier soils went up higher on the slopes and on top.

We covered most of this area in late March with cardboard and mulch to suppress and eliminate the grass and weeds. Plugs were planted about 1.5' on center and will ideally grow to fill in the gaps over the next year.

100 of these plants were generously provided by Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve through their Plant Grants! This program enlists a broader audience to help advance their mission: “Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve increases the knowledge and use of native plants by serving as an educational resource and destination that inspires conservation action". Thank you, Bowman's Hill!

Thank you also to the Conshy Public Services team for providing mulch and helping to water after things were planted!

Shrubs planted:
- 7x Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata)
- 5x Silky Dogwood (Cornus amomum)
- 3x Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)
- 2x P***y Willow (Salix discolor)
- 2x Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)
- 2x Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)
- 1x Steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa)

Herbaceous plants (moist / wet):
- Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea)
- Helen's Flower (Helenium autumnale)
- Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
- Hollow Joe Pye W**d (Eutrochium fistulosum)

Herbaceous plants (average / dry):
- Clustered Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum)
- Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
- Broomsedge (Anatherum virginicum)
- Rough Goldenrod 'Fireworks' (Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks')
- Little Bluestem 'Standing Ovation' (Schizachyrium scoparium 'Standing Ovation')
- Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)
- New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
- Lyre-leaf sage (Salvia lyrata)
- Coastal Plain Joe-Pye W**d (Eutrochium dubium)