St Paul's Cathedral and Garden

St Paul's Cathedral and Garden. . , Project Partners , St. Paul's is grateful to many partners for their support of the Cathedral Rain Garden and Labyrinth. Special thank-yous go to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, The Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, Trees Forever, Polk County Soil and Water Conservation District, and to our neighbors the Downtown School and PACE/Orchard Place., These signs were prepared with the support of the RESOURCE ENHANCEMENT and CONSERVATION EDUCATION PROGRAM (REAP CEP) Grant#10-18. However, any oppinions [sic] findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the REAP CEP Board., Cathedral Rain Garden , Welcome to St. Paul's! In 1854 – the year when this Episcopal congregation was founded – new settlers would still have encountered Tallgrass Prairie and Oak Savannas on the land. Such a grassland ecosystem had covered much of the upper Midwest for nearly 8,000 years., In the 21st century, Iowans are increasingly aware of how urban paving and non-native planting contribute to the pollution and flooding of local streams and rivers. Returning some of our urban landscape to rain gardens of native plants is one way to care for God's earth and for our neighbors downstream., A rain garden is a depression or shallow bowl in the ground that captures and absorbs rain from roofs, parking lots, or yards. Layers of gravel and sand in the bowl, topped by layers of soil with good percolation rates, allow rainwater to filter deep into the soil. Rain gardens are planted with native plants that have lengthy root systems to manage and absorb heavy rainfall., Illustrative Comparisison [sic] of Turf Grass Root Structure to that of Native Plantings., Native Plants In Our Garden , Native species included in St. Paul's Cathedral Rain Garden include:, Columbine, wild ginger, Virginia bluebells, lady-fern, prairie dropseed, blazing star, butterfly milkweed, spiderwort, Pennsylvania sedge, beardtongue (penstemon), cardinal flower, horsetail, and legacy buffalo grass., Please Enjoy Our Garden and Labyrinth