Government Plaza
City of Springfield
Springfield, MO
Top image: click arrows to see additional photos.
Bottom center photo: Ronda Burnett
Other photos: Carrie Lamb
Size: Several beds dispersed over a 1 ½ acre parking lot
Year established: 2015
Year inducted: 2021
Category: Professionally managed
Entrance Fee: None
Description: This planting, outside the Springfield Government Center, is well designed and maintained. Originally planted in 2015, the gardens are individual plantings within and around a municipal parking lot. The gardens were originally installed using plugs and container plants.
These rain gardens feature micro-infiltration basins and a bioswale to reduce stormwater run-off. The bioswale is a long, linear feature that has the ascetic of a dry creek bed with native plants surrounding it. Most of the gardens receive full sun; however, a planting near the building also features native shade plants.
The gardens have a structured maintenance plan and are cared for by the city horticulture staff. Activities include daily trash pickup, weekly weed control, and biweekly shrub pruning. Other tasks may include sediment removal in inlet and outlet structures, perennial cutbacks, and division of plants. In winter, the gardens are cared for with pollinators in mind. Stems are cut back to 12” to provide bee habitat.
What Makes this Garden Excellent:
This garden is an excellent example of how gardens can complement urban infrastructure and meet community needs. Prior to the introduction of the gardens, the large, impervious parking lot prevented precipitation from entering the soil, resulting in the degradation of the asphalt and nearby landscaping. Potholes, ponding, and massive amounts of runoff were causing serious problems. In some areas, standing water would persist for several days.
Now that the rain gardens have been added, much of the stormwater is captured that falls on the parking lot. Like all native gardens, this planting provides essential ecosystem services, and in this case, greatly reduces runoff.
The area has benefitted ascetically, too. Originally only a desolate parking lot with a few non-native, struggling trees, the new landscaping has greatly beautified the grounds. When walking into the building, visitors and employees have commented on the visually appealing plants and the increase in wildlife. This garden has a practical education benefit as well, as multiple interpretive signs explain the value of native plants and the importance of reducing stormwater runoff.
Ten Great Native Plants to See Here:
Callicarpa americana (American beautyberry)
Carex stricta (tussock sedge)
Coreopsis lanceolata (lanceleaf coreopsis)
Echinacea paradoxa (yellow coneflower)
Glandularia canadensis (rose verbena)
Itea virginica (Virginia sweetspire)
Iris cristata (dwarf crested iris)
Nyssa sylvatica (black gum)
Oenothera macrocarpa (Missouri primrose)
Physocarpus opulifolius (ninebark)
Signage: The gardens have interpretive signage as well as tags that identify specific species.
Accessibility: As this is part of a paved parking lot, it is an easy garden for people of all physical abilities to tour.
Location:
City of Springfield Government Plaza
840 Boonville Ave.
Springfield, MO 65802
Coordinates:
37°13’00.7″N 93°17’30.8″W
37.216873, -93.291878
For More Information:
Carrie Lamb
City of Springfield Water Quality Coordinator
clamb@springfieldmo.gov or (417) 864-1996
Stormwater: Operations and Management Native Plant Guide
This excellent document, produced by the City of Springfield, Missouri, provides good additional information for using natives in rain gardens.
A more detailed species list can be found here: Plant Species List April 2021