Fenelon Falls Horticultural Society Expands Rain Garden

Submitted by Kathy Armstrong

What has happened to the garden at the end of Oak Street?

The Fenelon Falls Horticultural Society has expanded the rain garden opposite the parking lot and museum on Oak Street. This is a rain garden designed to catch, soak up and filter the stormwater before it runs over land into the lake. Rain gardens remove pollutants, reduce flooding and help recharge groundwater.

During heavy rains, water rushes down Oak Street and into the garden. Often the existing garden was not able to absorb all the water and it overflowed across the boat launch area into the lake. Kawartha Conservation helped fund both the original rain garden and this expansion. The original garden was excavated; filled with sand, rock and top soil; planted and mulched. The current garden is filled with native perennials including black- eyed Susans, purple coneflowers, bee balm, turtlehead, hyssop and asters. Native plants have longer roots and attract pollinators. The expanded garden will soon be planted with native flowers, grasses and shrubs.

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