Ferns and Fireflies Property, Bloomfield Hills

This rain garden began as a personal challenge and became a certification project. Completed in May 2025 as part of the Master Rain Gardener program through Washtenaw County Water Resources, it was later presented to the following year’s class as a demonstration of design, problem solving, and ecological planting.

The site presented real constraints: significant deer pressure, a large roof surface of just over 1,100 square feet, and a sloping yard. The solution was three linked basins, each with its own character and growing conditions. Water moves from the roof down a newly installed rain chain, through stone-lined swales, and into the basins in sequence. The spread of the basins across the slope actually became an asset, allowing for greater plant diversity suited to each zone’s unique moisture and light conditions.