Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station [Water Resources Program]

Rain Gardens

Rain Garden Training for Professional Landscapers


Overview

Rutgers Cooperative Extension offers a one and a half day training program for landscape professionals on how to install and maintain a rain garden.  The rain garden training includes in-class lectures and a hands-on demonstration, including the installation of a rain garden.  Topics include:

    • Site selection
    • Design
    • Native plant selection
    • Construction
    • Maintenance
    • New Jersey stormwater regulations
    • Costs

The professional landscapers that attend this program receive a certificate of completion for the rain garden training and are listed in the Rain Garden Installation Services Directory for New Jersey bulletin.


Working Across State Lines


In 2008, the Rain Garden Training for Professional Landscapers program was expanded to Ulster County, New York and Frederick County, Virginia through partnerships with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University - Cooperative Extension via a USDA National Water Program grant. The training sessions were based off of the New Jersey program and provided landscape professionals with the skills needed to install and maintain a rain garden as well as assisted them with marketing their new service offering.  The rain garden training included in-class lectures and a hands-on demonstration, which resulted in the installation of demonstration rain gardens.  The trainings were conducted in Ulster County, New York and Frederick County, Virginia in 2008 to 2010.  

In 2009, the Rain Garden Training for Professional Landscapers program was expanded to South Bronx, New York through a partnership with Sustainable South Bronx and the Horticultural Society of New York via a USDA National Water Program regional partnership grant.  The training sessions were based off of the New Jersey program and provided green collar job trainees with the skills needed to install and maintain a rain garden as well as assisted them with marketing their new service offering.  The rain garden training included in-class lectures and a hands-on demonstration, which resulted in the installation of demonstration rain gardens.  The trainings have been conducted in South Bronx, New York in 2009 to the present.
 
In 2010, the Rain Garden Training for Professional Landscapers program was expanded to the New England region (i.e., Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island) through a partnership with University of Connecticut NEMO Program, Connecticut Sea Grant Program, USEPA Region 1 Assistance and Pollution Prevention Office, University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, New Hampshire Sea Grant, University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension, and various federal and state agencies, local communities, watershed groups, landscape professionals, and landscape associations via a USDA National Water Program regional partnership grant.  The training sessions were based off of the New Jersey program and provided landscape professionals and green collar job trainees with the skills needed to install and maintain a rain garden as well as assisted them with marketing their new service offering.  The rain garden training included in-class lectures and a hands-on demonstration, which resulted in the installation of demonstration rain gardens.  The trainings have were conducted in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 2010, Hartford, Connecticut in 2010, Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 2010, Worcester, Massachusetts in 2011, and Providence, Rhode Island in 2011.  As a result of this partnership, the USEPA Region 1 Assistance and Pollution Prevention Office, USEPA Region 1 Federal Facility Program Office, VA Healthcare System, Tom Benjamin, and Rutgers Cooperative Extension have expanded this training to health care facilities; as such, trainings have been conducted in Leeds, Massachusetts in 2011 and in Brockton, Massachusetts 2012.  The New England Rain Garden Training Team received an Environmental Merit Award from USEPA Region 1 in April 2012 for their efforts.

In 2011, the Rain Garden Training for Professional Landscapers program was expanded to the Mid-Atlantic region (i.e., Delaware and Pennsylvania) through a partnership with Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve, Delaware Sea Grant, Delaware Center for the Inland Bays, Brandywine Valley Association, USEPA Region 3, Philadelphia Water Department, and Energy Coordinating Agency via a USDA National Water Program regional partnership grant and an agreement with the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium.  The training sessions were based off of the New Jersey program and provided landscape professionals with the skills needed to install and maintain a rain garden as well as assisted them with marketing their new service offering.  The rain garden training included in-class lectures and a hands-on demonstration, which resulted in the installation of demonstration rain gardens.  The trainings have were conducted in Smyrna, Delaware in 2011, Dover, Delaware in 2011, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania in 2011, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2012, and Lewes, Delaware in 2012.


Registration

New Jersey

NOTE: Although this training is aimed for landscapers, you do not need to be a         landscaper to attend.  All those interested in rain gardens are welcome to attend.

     Rain Garden Training - South Jersey 2013

  • Classroom Session: Tuesday, March 26, 2013 from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm at Moorestown Meeting House, 118 East Main Street, Moorestown, NJ 08057

Hands-on Rain Garden Installation: Thursday, March 28, 2012 from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm at a local site to be announced during the classroom session

Cost: $25.00.  Please make check out to "Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey."  The cost includes a copy of the Rain Garden Manual of New Jersey ($10.00 value), refreshments, and lunch for the classroom session.  

Please send your check for the full amount to:

            Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
            RCE Water Resources Program
            ATTN: Ben Pearson
            14 College Farm Road
            New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Special Discount: For organizations and businesses that would like to send more than one person to this training, there is a discounted rate of $15.00 for each additional person.  For example, XYZ Landscaping Company would like to send 3 people to the training. They will pay $25.00 for the first person and $15.00 fo each additional person.  XYZ Landscaping Compnay would end up paying a registration fee of $55.00.

Questions?: If you have any questions, feel free to contact Ben Pearson at bpearson@envsci.rutgers.edu or call 848-932-6727.

        NOTE: Although this training is aimed for landscapers, you do not need to be a         landscaper to attend.  All those interested in rain gardens are welcome to attend.


In-Class Lecture Presentations

New Jersey

    "New Jersey Stormwater Regulations: How Rain Gardens Fit the Bill"

    "What is a watershed?"

    "Rain Garden Site Selection"

    "Rain Garden Installation and Maintenance"

    "Rain Garden Video"
    Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County

    "Rain Garden Native Plants"
    Fran Chismar, Sales Manager
    Pinelands Nursery, Columbus, NJ

    'Designing and Using Native Plants"

   "Urban and Suburban Rain Garden Case Studies"

    'Rain Garden Design Exercise"
   

New York
   
    "Stormwater Management in Your Backyard Introduction"
    Madeline Flahive DiNardo, Agricultural Agent
    Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County
   
    "Overview of Stormwater Management in the Residential Setting"
    Gregory Rusciano, Program Associate
    Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program

    "Rain Garden Video"
    Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County

    "Rain Garden Site Selection and Installation"
    Amy Boyajian, Program Associate
    Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program

    "Native Plant Selections"
    Francis Groeters
    Catskill Native Nursery, Kerhonskson, NY

    "Rain Garden Maintenance" and 'Traditional Plant Selections"
    Madeline Flahive DiNardo, Agricultural Agent
    Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County

Virginia

    "Stormwater Management in Your Backyard Introduction"
    Madeline Flahive DiNardo, Agricultural Agent
    Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County

    "Stormwater 101: An Introduction for Master Gardeners"
    Brian Benham, Extension Specialist, Department of Biological Systems     Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
    Jim Lawrence, Environmental Consultant

    "Rain Garden Video"
    Madeline Flahive DiNardo, Agricultural Agent
    Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County

    "Rain Garden Site Selection and Installation"
    Gregory Rusciano, Program Associate
    Amy Boyajian, Program Associate
    Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program

    "Rain Garden Maintenance" and "Traditional Plant Selections"
    Madeline Flahive DiNardo, Agricultural Agent
    Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County


In-Class Lecture Handouts


Hands-on Demonstration Training Locations

2008:

2009:

  • North Jersey: Reeves-Reed Arboretum, Summit
  • South Jersey: Gloucester County Dream Park, Logan Twp.
  • New York: Frank D. Greco Memorial Multi-Purpose Recreation Center, Saugerties
  • Virginia: Frederick Douglas Park and Community Center, Winchester

2010:

2011:

2012:

The Rain Garden Training for Professional Landscapers 2008 - 2010 is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natioanl Institute of Food and Agriculture National Water Program under agreement number 2007-51130-03878.

The South Jersey Rain Garden Training for Professional Landscapers 2010-2011 is supported by a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection 319(h) grant. Partners include: Camden County Soil Conservation District, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Camden County, and the communities in the Cooper River watershed.

The South Jersey Rain Garden Training for Professional Landscapers 2011 is supported by the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority Green Infrastructure for Camden and Gloucester Cities project.

The North Jersey Rain Garden Training for Professional Landscapers 2011 is supported by the Sussex County Division of Planning Green Infrastructure for Sussex County program.


The Rain Garden Training Program for Professional Landscapers is supported by the USDA NIFA Northeast States & Caribbena Islands Regional Water Center.


The Rain Garden Training Program for Professional Landscapers is supported by the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium.

 


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