AJ News

Mauri Rapp Abington Journal Correspondent

To the average person, Tom Davis’ gardens may not seem very large. The story and the work behind them, however, is nothing less than impressive because Davis created a rain garden that is pleasing to the eye and helps with storm water management not only on his property, but for the general outlying area.

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Water runoff from this bed of bluestone behind the Davis house created a need for a rain garden.

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When Davis and his wife, Charlotte, first began building their home at the end of Mathewson Terrace in Factoryville, they encountered an impenetrable bank of blue stone. “The house had to come up about four feet because of the rock,” said Davis. After construction, the Davises had another problem to tackle when they discovered water flowing from Watkins Street down the rock slope behind their house. “It would flow down the hill, across the road, and then down from the rocks,” Davis said. Davis began asking the Wyoming County Conservation District for recommendations on storm water management and made modifications to his property. One of the first steps was to divert a majority of the water coming down from the rocks over to the woods along either of his property as well as his vegetable garden. Next, he planted a rain garden in a grassy space near the base of the rock slope to soak up water. Butterfly and burning bushes along with ornamental grasses, black-eyed Susans, purple cone flowers and more benefit from the water that pours down the slope. According to the conservation district’s website, a rain garden can reduce the amount of water runoff into streams and creeks by as much as 30 percent. Any water conserved on the Davis property prevents excess water from flowing downstream to the town of Factoryville.

Davis said he also has plans for the future, that include the addition of four rain barrels, one at each corner of the house, that will sit at the base of his rain gutters and catch run off from his roof. The plan also includes expanding the current garden to other grassy areas of the rocky slope “as soon as my wife will let me,” Davis joked.

His interest in storm water management goes further than simply managing the rainfall at his home. As vice-president of Factoryville Borough Council, Davis is involved in helping the borough develop storm water management plans. He said that educating the public on proper storm water management is something he hopes to come from the modifications on his own property.

Want to nominate?

The Abington Journal and theabingtonjournal .com are running a 14-week story series written by Mauri Rapp and a contest on home gardens in the greater Abington coverage area. We will accept nominations for 14, which will be featured in print and online through Oct. 28. Our readers will vote at the Abington Journal office and on our Web site. To nominate a garden, call Editor Kristie Grier Ceruti at 570.585.1604 or email kgrier@theabington journal.com. Weekly winners will receive a $10 gift card from Corky’s Garden Path. One grand prize winner will receive a $200 gift card.