Category Archives: Uncategorized

by Prof. Amy Ando, Guest blogger Rain gardens, like other kinds of green infrastructure, capture rainfall that nurtures the garden plants and soaks into the ground (known as infiltration). Rain gardens can replenish groundwater and reduce stormwater runoff that would otherwise contribute to pollution and flooding during heavy rains. Adding rain gardens to a systemContinue reading “Rain Gardens – View from an Economist”

by Layne Knoche, RORG Landscape Designer As you may have heard, the Red Oak Rain Garden was recently certified through several conservation-related organizations. This blog gives more information about the certifications and how RORG qualtifies for them. It is our hope that you will be inspired by the Red Oak Rain Garden to install yourContinue reading “We’re Certified!”

by Eliana Brown, RORG Director I’m sure many of you have the seen the sign at the Red Oak Rain Garden letting you know that a new boardwalk/bridge was coming in Spring 2020 and, perhaps, you’re probably wondering where it is. A combination of the spread and mitigation of COVID-19 and other extenuating circumstances hasContinue reading “Construction Update: Phase III, the bridge”

By Tony Heath, Project Engineer Oh, how do you measure a tree? If you’re feeling poetic, you might count the hours spent reclining in its shade or ask how many birds call its branches home. An urban planner might ask how the tree improves neighborhood outcomes, while a engineer might ask how much water itContinue reading “How Do You Measure a Tree”

By Carl Carman, Guest Blogger/Ex-officio RORG Team collaborator/Volunteer The Red Oak Rain Garden (RORG) team planted approximately 9,000 plants and recorded the species, number, and geospatial location of each plant. Given the plethora of plants, the team thought it might be cool to estimate the environmental impact of the garden in the context of terrestrialContinue reading “Estimating Impact: Carbon Sequestration”

by Layne Knoche, Landscape Designer Last fall, the RORG team and nearly 100 volunteers successfully installed about 9,000 native plants at the rain garden. While this monumental feat sounds like a lot, it might not look like a lot to many folks accustomed to HGTV quick transformations. That is, it might not look like muchContinue reading “When Will RORG Look Like an HGTV Garden?”

by Eliana Brown, RORG Director For a rain garden, every day is Earth Day. But, this year’s Earth Day is special – it’s the 50th Anniversary. Thirty years ago people poured onto the quad for the 20th Anniversary event. At the time, I was in college studying General Engineering and Marketing. The excitement around thatContinue reading “Earth Day 2020 is Wild”

From the (home office) desk of Layne Knoche, landscape designer: I first met Henry Eilers at an Extension Master Gardener event in Montgomery County, Illinois in spring 2019. I’d been asked to give a talk about the integration of natives in the home landscape and in rain gardens and I was elated to see suchContinue reading “Inspiring People: Horticulturalist Henry Eilers”

AND WE HAVE A WINNER! FINAL BRACKET RESULTS UPDATE (4/9/20): ROUND 3 RESULTS UPDATE (4/9/20): ROUND 2 RESULTS UPDATE (4/1/20): ROUND 1 RESULTS ORIGINAL MULCH MADNESS BRACKET Hold on to your gardening hats, sports fans! The NCAA basketball tournament may have had to cancel, but the RORG Team’s got you. We proudly announce our version:Continue reading “MULCH MADNESS 2020: If you miss your basketball bracket, root for your favorite flowers instead”

by Layne Knoche, RORG Landscape Designer Winter break is here has come and gone and our team finally has some time to catch up on this blog. This post covers September 30th – October 4th: the final week of the plant installation. You can catch up with week 1 and week 2 to make sureContinue reading “Planting the Red Oak Rain Garden: Week 3”