Learn About Landscaping with Rain Gardens at Workshop

As the weather begins to warm up, people are beginning to think about spring and what future outside activities they plan to do.  Many have expressed an interest to their local conservation districts in installing a rain garden on their property.  To help meet this need the Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) along with the Indianapolis Office of Sustainability have joined with Hoosier Heartland Resource Conservation & Development (HHRC&D) Council and others in hosting a rain garden workshop.  The “A Landscaping with Rain Gardens: The ABC’s of Design and Construction” workshop will be held on February 16, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.at The Normandy Barn at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.  A rain garden is simply a shallow landscaped vegetated area in a yard to collect rain water, that helps filter the water and dissipate it before it enters a storm drain, pond, or stream.  Rain gardens are designed to be dry between precipitation events and help to contribute to clean water and an improved environment.

This workshop is for interested homeowners, professional landscapers, garden centers, nurseries, landscape suppliers, park departments, groundskeepers, and others who are interested in the design, construction, or maintenance of rain gardens.  Rusty Schmidt, co-author of “The Blue Thumb Guide to Rain gardens”, will be the featured speaker at the workshop.  Mr. Schmidt is a professional landscape ecologist from Minnesota who designs and constructs alternative methods for managing storm water runoff.  He has created hundreds of designs for habitat restorations, rain gardens, bio-infiltration swales, bio-retention basins, and storm water ponds.  Rusty helps train homeowners and design professionals on the techniques of rain gardens nationwide.  He has assisted rain garden initiatives like the “10,000 Rain Garden Initiative” in Kansas City and the MetroBlooms and BlueThumb Programs in Minnesota.

Reservations are required.  Class size is limited and will be taken on a first-come, first-serve basis—so register early!  Registration cost is $50 per individual which includes handout materials, snacks, and lunch.  For more information visit the Marion County SWCD’s website at www.marionswcd.org or Hoosier Heartland’s website at www.hhrcd.org.  For more information or to register, please contact the Hoosier Heartland RC&D office at (317) 290-3250.  There will be no parking fee at the fairgrounds to attend this workshop.  This workshop is co-sponsored by Hoosier Heartland RC&D Council, Lilly Endowment Inc, JFNew, The Barn at the Fairgrounds, Indianapolis Office of Sustainability, Soil & Water Conservation Districts in Boone, Brown, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion, Monroe, Morgan, and Shelby Counties and the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service.  The publication “The Blue Thumb Guide to Raingardens” will also be available for purchase at the workshop for $18.00.  Various related vendors will also be at the workshop.

Workshop Brochure