A year after volunteers installed rain gardens on the historic Mathews court green, the plants are thriving. Paid for entirely with private funds, the project involved planting a variety of moisture-loving species to soak up the rainwater that in the past left the grounds in a muddy mess. The plants have such proper names as Carex bunny blue, Camellia sasanqua “Golden Phoenix,” and Illicium parviflorum “Gray Ghost,” and such common names as black chokeberry, winterberry holly, juncus, and switchgrass. Dr. Anne Leddy Wilson, shown here at left, and her husband, Dr. H. Alexander “Sandy” Wilson, led the efforts, spending extensive time researching which plants would flourish in the environment on the court green, then planting and caring for them. They are shown here talking with Roland Foster of Season’s Best Lawn Care, at right, about ongoing maintenance of the gardens.
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