In honor of Earth Day, the Bell PTSA invites the community to join us in renovating the Bus Loop Rain Garden. In recent years, this garden perished during the summer when water is scarce, so we are planning to plant new drought-resistant plants and bring the rain garden back to life. It will be so meaningful for the kids to see their plants grow and thrive over their years at Bell. We hope you and your family will join us!

• Where: Bell Elementary
• When: Saturday, April 20, 2024 (10am - 12pm)
• What: We will spend a couple of hours replanting the rain garden near the bus loop. If we have extra time, we will do more to clean up the school campus and remove invasive species. 
• What to bring: If possible, bring one (or more) plant for the rain garden from the list of drought-resistant plants. If you have extra gardening tools, buckets for collecting trash, or litter grabbers, please bring them along.

Flowers

• Crimson Flag (Hesperantha coccinea)
• Western Columbine (Aquilegia Formosa)
• Douglas Aster (Symphyotrichum subspicatum)
• Wild Ginger (Asarum caudatum)
• Western or Pacific Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa)
• Giant Camas (Camassia leichtlinii)
• Common Camas (Camassia quamash)
• Shrubby Wallflowers (Erysimum)
• Day Lily (Hemerocallis)
• Coral Bells (Heuchera)
• Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)
• Oregon Iris (Iris tenax)
• Douglas Iris (Iris douglasiana)
• Gayfeather (Liatris spicata)
• Henderson’s Checker Mallow (Sidalcea hendersoni)

Emergents and Grasses

• New Zealand Hair Sedge (Carex comens)
• Slough Sledge (Carex obnupta)
• New Zealand Orange Sedge (Carex Testacea)
• Taper-Tipped Rush (Juncus acuminatus)
• Dagger-Leaf Rush (Juncus ensifolius)
• Spreading Rush (Juncus patens)
• Slender Rush (Juncus tenuis)
• Small-Fruited Bulrush (Scirpus microcarpus)
• Sweet Flag (Acorus calamus and Acorus gramineus)
• Blue Oat Grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens)
• Japanese Silver Grass (Miscanthus sinensis)

Ferns

• Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina)
• Deer Fern (Blechnum spicant)

Possible border plants

• Yarrow (Achillea)
• Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
• Globe Thistle (Echinops)
• Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
• Hardy Geranium
• Sunrose (Helianthemum nummularium)
• Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia, Lavendula stoechas)
• Lupine (Lupinus)
• Turtlehead (Nothochelone nemorosa)

Do you have any feedback on ways we can nurture our community? We would love to hear them. Email us at feedback@agbellptsa.org.