Rain Garden Design and Installation

As homeowners and property managers become more aware of the issues of stormwater management, many of them are choosing to manage the runoff from their homes and businesses with rain gardens. Rain gardens are shallow depressions and serve as landscape features that can effectively collect and treat stormwater to reduce localized flooding.

Rain gardens can be integrated into the existing landscape as a retrofit or be included in an initial landscaping plan.  To effectively manage stormwater, rain gardens must be accurately sized and properly constructed.  This 1 (or 1&1/2) day workshop will present a method for sizing and designing rain gardens and will detail proper construction techniques.

In this training participants will learn:

• why stormwater needs to be managed
• the importance of properly-designed practices
• the principles of rain garden location, construction and maintenance
• how to properly design and size rain gardens
• how to select appropriate vegetation
• how to design, build and plant a small rain garden

Note: The design method presented in this workshop is not accepted by NCDENR as a means of sizing rain gardens for regulatory purposes. However, this method is suitable for retrofit or non-regulatory rain garden design and installations.

Who should attend: Commercial and residential landscapers, Landscape architects, Design engineers.  Landscape architects can receive 8 hours of continuing education credit.  Non-professionals (e.g., homeowners) are also welcome to attend.

Participants will have the opportunity to take a test to become certified in rain garden design and installation.  Professionals who receive certification are listed on the NCSU Stormwater website, where potential clients are referred when looking for qualified installers.

Participants who do NOT wish to become certified can attend Day 1 only, and pay a reduced registration fee.

• October 22 from 8:00 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• October 23 from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. (for professionals seeking certification)

Buncombe County Extension Center, 94 Coxe Avenue, Asheville, NC

Fee includes lunch, coffee breaks, and materials:

• Early Bird Fee (up to Oct. 15): $125
• Regular Registration Fee (after Oct. 15): $175
• Fee if not pursuing certification (attend day 1 only): $25

Pre-registration required: register for the workshop here.

CoSponsors:  NC State University Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering, NC Cooperative Extension, and RiverLink.