Bioretention facility/rain garden plants

What plants will be planted in the bioretention facility/rain garden?

The bioretention facility/rain garden will be planted this fall with four native species common to Pacific Northwest wetlands: slough sedge, sawbeak sedge, daggerleaf rush, and small-fruited bulrush. Plants were chosen using guidance from the King County Surface Water Design Manual, the Low Impact Development Technical Guidance Manual for Puget Sound, the Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington, and consultation with internal King County staff.

As opposed to the summer months, new plantings are more likely to establish and survive during the relatively cooler, wetter weather common to Northwest autumns. Autumn also coincides with the cycle nurseries typically follow for this type of vegetation, ensuring availability of the species of choice.

Slough Sedge Carex obnupta		Sawbeak Sedge Carex stipata
Daggerleaf Rush Juncus ensifolius		Small-fruited Bulrush Scirpus microcarpus

Additional native plants for landscaping

Reconstruction of the northeast corner of the intersection includes new landscape vegetation, which will also be planted this fall. The site is to be planted with kinnikinnik, also known as bearberry, a native evergreen shrub effective in combating erosion.

Related documents

• Low Impact Development Technical Guidance Manual for Puget Sound, Appendix 3, Bioretention Plant List (112KB .pdf)
• Bioretention facility plants and descriptions (28KB .xls)
• King County Surface Water Design Manual, Appendix C, Water Tolerant Plants (85KB .jpg)
• Washington State Department of Ecology Recommended Plants for Wet Biofiltration Swale (127KB .jpg)

Updated: Sept. 4, 2007