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The objective of our project was to renew the memorial garden at Zane Middle School in a way that beautified the garden, increased its durability for heavy foot traffic, and reduced the amount of maintenance needed. | The objective of our project was to renew the memorial garden at Zane Middle School in a way that beautified the garden, increased its durability for heavy foot traffic, and reduced the amount of maintenance needed. | ||
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Revision as of 23:34, 5 May 2015
Abstract
Background
Zane Middle School is a school for 6-8th graders in Eureka, Ca. Zane works to establish a diverse educational community within a nurturing environment to promote personal growth. Zane Middle School teamed up with Humboldt State University's engineering students and one goal was to update the memorial garden at the school’s entrance to better represent the Zane mission. Our team, the Gardiens, consists of Tatiana Garcia, Brandon Boutros, Justin Myers, Cody Hennings, Matt Kuljis and Sam deVroede and we chose to work with Zane on the memorial garden mainly focusing on beautifying the garden with native plants, keeping long-term maintenance to a minimum and establishing a sturdy path to accommodate for the high levels of foot traffic in the area.
Problem Statement and Criteria
The objective of our project was to renew the memorial garden at Zane Middle School in a way that beautified the garden, increased its durability for heavy foot traffic, and reduced the amount of maintenance needed.
Criteria | Importance | Details |
---|---|---|
Low-Maintenance | 10 | The garden must be designed to stay healthy with minimal maintenance after the project is complete. |
Aesthetics | 10 | This garden is the first impression of anyone who comes to the campus and must represent the campus well. |
Hardiness | 8 | This garden is in a regularly used public area and needs to be lasting. |
Safety | 8 | This garden must be void of low hanging branches, tripping hazards and blockages that could prevent supervision. |
Accessibility | 7 | The design must accommodate for the heavy foot-traffic throughout the day. |
Educational Value | 6 | To educate students about alternatives regarding landscaping and pathway materials. |
Environmental Impact | 5 | Using native plants promotes native ecosystems and reduces water consumption. |
Cost | 5 | Must be within the required budget. |
Description of final project
Garden Design
The final design is a xeriscape. A xeriscape is a landscape that utilizes position and individual plant needs, such as water and sun intake, in order to prolong the life of each plant. We planted plants which need the most water towards the bottom left of the garden and the plants that need the least towards the top right corner because the groundwater will drain towards the water drain at the bottom left corner due to the slope of the ground in the garden. The plants which take the most sun are located furthest away from tall existing bushes and the plants that require part shade are located near the taller bushes. We did this using strictly native species. Using plants that are well adapted to the region promotes the longevity of our garden. Using natives also supports local, native ecosystems and using mainly evergreens reduces maintenance significantly.
Pathway Design
The pathway design we have chosen will follow the pathways already in place. We will widen the beaten path across the garden and use recycled pea gravel from the garden and some donated pea gravel to construct a pervious concrete pathway through the garden. This will remove the tripping hazards from the old roots and the mess associated with the loose pea gravel that was tracked across campus. The pervious concrete will also allow water to drain, reducing runoff the chances of someone slipping on a puddle.
Costs
Materials Cost
The largest portion of the materials cost is due to the construction of the pervious concrete pathway. Not including the general tools used for many sections of the memorial garden the pathway consisted of more than half of the current retail cost of about $919. Fortunately, a large portion of the materials costs were donated. As shown in the table below, over 60% of the project costs were donated, saving the team over $550. The total amount of money spent was $345.33.
Quantity | Material | Source | Donated | Retail Cost ($) | Total ($) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 yd3 | Gravel | Hensells Materials | X | 30.00 | 0.00 |
20 mi | Gravel Delivery | Eric Weibel | X | 24.00 | 0.00 |
1200 ft2 | Weed Mat | Zane Middle School | X | 108.00 | 0.00 |
50 yd3 | Redwood Mulch | Zane Middle School | X | 137.50 | 0.00 |
10 gal | Fertilizer | Bayside Garden Supply | X | 36.00 | 0.00 |
4 Bags | Soil | Bayside Garden Supply | X | 50.00 | 0.00 |
1 | Soil Test | Dirty Buisness | X | 50.00 | 0.00 |
5 | Ceanothus | Greenlot Nursurey | X | 12.00 | 0.00 |
1 | Flowering Currant | Mad River Gardens | X | 15.00 | 0.00 |
100 ft | Form Lumber | Eric Weibel | X | 25.00 | 0.00 |
20 94lb Bags | Cement | Hensell Materials | Discount | 331.60 | 204.00 |
1/4"x8'x4' | Masonite | The Mill Yard | Discount | 34.00 | 28.00 |
3 | Tarp | Harbor Freight | 23.10 | 23.10 | |
1 | Dolly | Harbor Freight | 15.30 | 15.30 | |
3 | Azaleas | Winco | 13.95 | 13.95 | |
2 | 5 gal. Bucket | Ace Hardware | 10.00 | 10.00 | |
1 | 5 qt. Bucket | Ace Hardware | 3.49 | 3.49 | |
1 | Shovel | Harbor Freight | 9.99 | 9.99 | |
1 | Box of 100 Screws | Piersons | 2.50 | 2.50 | |
100 | Wooden Stackes | Hensell Materials | 35.60 | 35.00 | |
Total Cost | $967.03 | $345.33 |
Design Cost
The Gardiens spent a combined total of about 300 hours on this design project.
Testing Results
Soil Test:
We sent a soil sample from the garden to Dirty Business, a soil lab in Arcata, to be analyzed. The results showed that the soil was lacking in phosphates and nitrates, but otherwise good for native plants.
Concrete Test:
To figure out the correct mixture for making permeable concrete we made a small block to test the ratios of ingredients. We knew what the ratio of gravel to cement should be but were uncertain about how much water should be added. To test this we added water a little at a time to the gravel and cement mixture until we achieved a desirable consistency of concrete. After it dried we had a strong, solid block of concrete that allowed water to permeate through.
How to
Next Steps
Now that the Native Memorial Garden is renewed, the only thing left to do is water the plants through the summer to ensure they settle into their new surroundings. As the plants grow and the ground-cover spreads, the garden will become more and more beautiful.