Rain Garden Essentials: Four Seasons Gardening Webinar

Discover the power of rain gardens, which act as nature’s filter by slowing storm water runoff, reducing soil erosion, and relieving strain on storm water systems. Gain insights into the principles of rain garden construction and design, ensuring that your garden not only enhances the beauty of your space, but also contributes to the health of the environment.
0:38 What is a rain garden?
1:17 How do rain gardens work?
3:19 What benefits do rain gardens provide?
4:15 Methods for reducing stormwater runoff.
5:11 Can rain gardens improve water quality?
6:07 Rain gardens can provide habitat for wildlife and insects.
7:14 What steps are involved in designing a rain garden?
7:36 Tips on where to install your rain garden.
8:15 Plant selection tools (links)
10:02 Soil assessment - testing your infiltration rate so you know how fast the soil drains.
11:28 Steps to build a rain garden.
12:20 Determining how deep your rain should be. Calculating your infiltration rate.
16:33 How big (square feet) should your rain garden be? We need to figure a couple of things out to help us.
-17:00 Calculating the area draining into the rain garden. Adjusting your area calculation using a coefficient of runoff number.
-19:36 Calculating the volume of water coming off a surface.
-22:07 Using our previous numbers (volume and depth) to calculate the square footage of a rain garden.
23:03 What if I want to skip the calculations? Is there a shortcut?
24:00 Time to start excavating. How do we shape the rain garden?
25:02 Always plan for overflow.
27:37 Tips for planting rain garden plants.
29:01 What type of mulch is recommended for rain gardens?
32:26 The problem with landscape fabric in rain gardens.
34:44 Rain garden maintenance tips.
37:47 Time to talk about some good online resources for recommended rain garden plants.
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47:02 Presentation references and additional resources that can be useful in developing your rain garden.
This webinar was originally recorded on March 5, 2024.
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