Jim and Nicole Fary's
Rain Garden Construction
June 2007
Pam Rowe, Coordinator, Rainscapes Program, Montgomery Department of Environmental Protection, provided materials for the first publicly subsidized rain garden in the front yard of Jim and Nicole Fary's home in the Bel Pre watershed of Northwest Branch. It was done as a demonstration project. Montgomery Department of Environmental Protection "Rain Scapes" provided the rain garden soil, the mulch, and the deer resistant plants.

Jim had to provide the "diggers." He contracted with a landscape company to provide big muscle men diggers, but they decided they could not show, so Jim was helped by his friends:

  • Pam Rowe - providing materials and digging the Rain Garden
  • Ed Murtagh - designing, organizing, and digging the Rain Garden
  • John Fay - digging and humor
  • Anne Ambler - digging and keeping John Fay in order
  • Joe Moeller - digging and driving the tractor and dump trailer that hauled the clay away
  • Jackie Fary-Moeller - digging
  • Nicole Fary - inspiring Jim to do this project, cooking and serving lunch, and washing the dirty dishes

The rain garden is at 2836 Blue Spruce Ln, Silver Spring, MD 20906 and can be viewed from the street.

Click to enlarge photos