![[Water Resources Program]](http://njaes.rutgers.edu/_common/images/subheads/waterresourceprog.gif "[Water Resources Program]"){kind=small}
Rain Gardens
Rain Garden Information Center
Resources from the Water Resources Program:
General Information
- Stormwater Management in Your Backyard Rain Garden Outreach Manual ~ Winner of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) Communications Award, National Finalist for Learning Module
- Rain Garden Manual of New Jersey ~ Check it out!
- An Introduction to Rain Gardens - Rutgers Cooperative Extension
This double-sided color brochure (8.5” x 14”) is useful for distribution at public events and meetings. It provides a quick summary of rain gardens and stormwater issues. It’s great for a general audience. - Rain Gardens, Rutgers Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet #513, February 2006
This four-page color document provides a brief explanation of how to design, install and maintain a rain garden suitable for a roof downspout, driveway or small parking lot (PDF, 595 KB). - Rain Garden Installation Services Directory
The rain garden training for professional landscapers provides landscape professionals throughout New Jersey with the skills needed to install and maintain a rain garden, as well as assisting them with marketing for their new service offering. The professional landscape businesses that completed the classroom training and the hands-on installation demonstration program in 2008-2009 are listed in this directory. - USDA CSREES Rain Garden Video (http://www.csrees.usda.gov/newsroom/partners/fluid_planet.html)
Articles
- The Demonstration Rain Garden - Journal of Extension, April 2008
This article describes how a demonstration project can be a useful educational tool and highlights the successes of the Union County, New Jersey demonstration program—a collaborative effort between, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County, the Water Resources Program, Master Gardeners and local stakeholders. - Bioretention Column Study: Fecal Coliform and Total Suspended Solids Reductions – Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, 2007.
Presentations
- Rain Garden/Bioretention Research & Extension Symposium
May 29-30, 2008, New Brunswick, New Jersey
The purpose of the symposium was to cover a wide range of related topics through presentations from the experts in the area of bioretention systems/rain gardens and related stormwater management topics. Researchers shared their latest research findings. Background information about the beginnings of bioretention will be presented along with case studies of implementation and education projects. - Stormwater Management in Your Backyard
This four-part lecture presents on background information of stormwater issues, an overview of stormwater management practices, and how to design, install and maintain a backyard rain garden.
Other Resources:
Disclaimer: Some of these resources have been developed for regions that do not include New Jersey. Please consider this in terms of plant selection, climate, soil type and terrain.
- Rain Garden Manual for New Jersey, New Jersey Native Plant Society
- Rain Gardens, A How-To Manual for Homeowners - University of Wisconsin-Extension
- The New Jersey Stormwater Best Management Practices Manual, Chapter 9.1 Standard for Bioretention Systems - New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
- Rain Gardens Technical Guide, Virginia Department of Forestry
- Rain Gardens in Connecticut, University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension
Additional Fact Sheets
- Soil Texture, Cornell Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet #29, 2007 – This fact sheet will help you to estimate the sand/silt/clay percentages of your soil based on its classification (i.e. loam, sandy loam, loamy sand, sandy clay, sandy clay loam, etc.; PDF 245 KB).
- Urban Waterways: Designing Rain Gardens (Bio-Retention Areas), North Carolina State University
Websites
- Extension Programs - Stormwater Engineering Group, North Carolina State University
- Healthy Landscapes
- Blue Thumb – Planting for Clean Water
- Rain Gardens of West Michigan
- 10,000 Rain Gardens
- Metroblooms
- Rainwater Gardens Program, Maplewood, Minnesota
