St. Ambrose Episcopal Church Memorial Prayer Garden
This is the site of the St. Ambrose Memorial Prayer Garden before and after installation.
Project Origin
St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Raleigh, NC is a 150 year old historically black Espicopal congregation in the heart of Raleigh, NC. After needing to relocate the cremains of several parishioners due to a plumbing upgrade, the church envisioned a new garden that would provide a beautiful environment for people to visit their loved ones, a place in which to hold outside worship services, a garden for prayer, and an environmental asset to the local ecosystem.
Project Description
Kirsten Reberg-Horton of Kalmia Landscape Design worked closely with the rector, Jemonde Taylor, and the members of the Capital Campaign committee as well as the entire congregation to design a garden that matched the congregation's needs and vision. The garden won the City of Raleigh 2020 Environmental Community Action Stormwater Award for its value in redirecting and slowing runoff from the church building into the nearby wetlands. Installed by TerraFina Landforms and including two raingardens and two large rainwater catchment cisterns, the gardens are watered entirely by reclaimed stormwater and filter most of the water coming off the roof through the raingardens.
Utilizing plants that are beautiful, but also beneficial to birds, pollinators and humans the garden is a lush, yet orderly place of respite for visitors and a respectful final resting place for loved ones.
St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Raleigh, NC is a 150 year old historically black Espicopal congregation in the heart of Raleigh, NC. After needing to relocate the cremains of several parishioners due to a plumbing upgrade, the church envisioned a new garden that would provide a beautiful environment for people to visit their loved ones, a place in which to hold outside worship services, a garden for prayer, and an environmental asset to the local ecosystem.
Project Description
Kirsten Reberg-Horton of Kalmia Landscape Design worked closely with the rector, Jemonde Taylor, and the members of the Capital Campaign committee as well as the entire congregation to design a garden that matched the congregation's needs and vision. The garden won the City of Raleigh 2020 Environmental Community Action Stormwater Award for its value in redirecting and slowing runoff from the church building into the nearby wetlands. Installed by TerraFina Landforms and including two raingardens and two large rainwater catchment cisterns, the gardens are watered entirely by reclaimed stormwater and filter most of the water coming off the roof through the raingardens.
Utilizing plants that are beautiful, but also beneficial to birds, pollinators and humans the garden is a lush, yet orderly place of respite for visitors and a respectful final resting place for loved ones.
Plant List
Key: N - Native Plant P - Beneficial to pollinators B - Beneficial to birds E - Edible R - Raingarden plant (tolerates wet feet)
Shrubs and Trees
P - Loropetalum chinense var. Rubrum ‘Purple Daydream’, Purple Daydream Loropetalum 2-3’ x 3-4’ Evergreen
Juniperus conferta 'Blue Pacific’, Blue Pacific Juniper 12-18’ x 6-8’, Evergreen
P - Abelia grandiflora ‘Kaleidoscope’, Evergreen
P, B - Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Fastigiata’, Columnar Tea Olive, 4-5’ x 3’, Evergreen
P - Hydrangea paniculata ‘ILVOBO’ Bobo Panicle Hydrangea, 2-3’ x 3-4’
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘MonYur’, Jade Waves Fernspray False Cypress 6-8’ x 3-4’, Evergreen
B, P - Viburnum obovatum ‘Reifler’s Dwarf’, Reifler’s Dwarf Viburnum 3-4’ x 4-5’, Evergreen
B, P- Styrax japonica, Japanese Snowbell
N, B, P, R - Ceonanthus americanus New Jersey Tea
N, B, P, R - Cephalanthus occidentalis Button Bush
N, B, P, R - Itea virginica, Virginia Sweet Spire
N, Taxodium distichum ‘Cascade Falls’, Cascade Falls Bald Cypress
E, B, P - Ficus carica ‘Little Miss Figgy’, Little Miss Figgy Dwarf Fig
E, B, P - Ficus ‘Olympus’, Olympus Dwarf Fig
E, P - Rosemarinus ‘Salem’, Bush Rosemary, Evergreen
E, P - Rosemarinus procumbens, Creeping Rosemary, Evergreen
Perennials
N, R - Equisetum hyemale, Horsetail, Evergreen
P - Nepeta faassenni ‘Prussian Blue’, Prussian Blue Catmint, Evergreen
P - Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’, Evergreen
P, R - Siberian Iris Peacock Butterfly Painted Woman, Evergreen
P, R - Siberian Iris ‘Butter and Sugar’, Evergreen
B - Pennisetum alopecuroides, Hameln Dwarf Fountain Grass
B - Pennisetum alopecuroides, ‘Little Bunny’
P - Veronica hybrid ‘Dark Blue Moody Blues’
B, R - Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’, Evergold Sedge, Evergreen
P - Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, Plumbago
P, R - Daylily spp.
P - Iberis sempervirens, Snowflake Candytuft, Evergreen
R - Juncus inflexus ‘Blue Arrow’, Blue Arrow Rush, Evergreen
E, P - Thymus spp., Thyme, Evergreen
Shrubs and Trees
P - Loropetalum chinense var. Rubrum ‘Purple Daydream’, Purple Daydream Loropetalum 2-3’ x 3-4’ Evergreen
Juniperus conferta 'Blue Pacific’, Blue Pacific Juniper 12-18’ x 6-8’, Evergreen
P - Abelia grandiflora ‘Kaleidoscope’, Evergreen
P, B - Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Fastigiata’, Columnar Tea Olive, 4-5’ x 3’, Evergreen
P - Hydrangea paniculata ‘ILVOBO’ Bobo Panicle Hydrangea, 2-3’ x 3-4’
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘MonYur’, Jade Waves Fernspray False Cypress 6-8’ x 3-4’, Evergreen
B, P - Viburnum obovatum ‘Reifler’s Dwarf’, Reifler’s Dwarf Viburnum 3-4’ x 4-5’, Evergreen
B, P- Styrax japonica, Japanese Snowbell
N, B, P, R - Ceonanthus americanus New Jersey Tea
N, B, P, R - Cephalanthus occidentalis Button Bush
N, B, P, R - Itea virginica, Virginia Sweet Spire
N, Taxodium distichum ‘Cascade Falls’, Cascade Falls Bald Cypress
E, B, P - Ficus carica ‘Little Miss Figgy’, Little Miss Figgy Dwarf Fig
E, B, P - Ficus ‘Olympus’, Olympus Dwarf Fig
E, P - Rosemarinus ‘Salem’, Bush Rosemary, Evergreen
E, P - Rosemarinus procumbens, Creeping Rosemary, Evergreen
Perennials
N, R - Equisetum hyemale, Horsetail, Evergreen
P - Nepeta faassenni ‘Prussian Blue’, Prussian Blue Catmint, Evergreen
P - Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’, Evergreen
P, R - Siberian Iris Peacock Butterfly Painted Woman, Evergreen
P, R - Siberian Iris ‘Butter and Sugar’, Evergreen
B - Pennisetum alopecuroides, Hameln Dwarf Fountain Grass
B - Pennisetum alopecuroides, ‘Little Bunny’
P - Veronica hybrid ‘Dark Blue Moody Blues’
B, R - Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’, Evergold Sedge, Evergreen
P - Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, Plumbago
P, R - Daylily spp.
P - Iberis sempervirens, Snowflake Candytuft, Evergreen
R - Juncus inflexus ‘Blue Arrow’, Blue Arrow Rush, Evergreen
E, P - Thymus spp., Thyme, Evergreen