MURPHYSBORO, Ill.— On Saturday Sept. 14, 2019, the University of Illinois Extension and Greater Egypt Regional Planning & Development Commission partnered to present the Introduction to Rain Gardens Workshop which was held at the Jackson County Extension office in Muphysboro. 

Rain gardens are an effective landscape feature designed to capture excess storm water runoff from impervious surfaces like building, roads, and driveways.  By catching and processing storm water in the landscape,  downstream water quality can be greatly improved. Rain gardens absorb more water than a typical lawn while providing habitat for pollinators and wildlife. 

Understanding how rain gardens function, as well as how to design, install, and maintain rain gardens were among the topics presented by U of I educators and specialists on Saturday.  Participants learned how to choose the proper site for a rain garden, what plants to use, how to design and build the garden, and how to maintain the plantings.  For the final activity of the day, participants had a fun hands-on experience of installing 300 native plants into the new rain garden.  The rain garden will be a valuable demonstration garden for education and evaluation of its impact on the environment for years to come.     

University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in programming, contact your local registration office. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time for meeting your needs.

News source: Austin Little, 618-687-1727, little84@illinois.edu

News writer: Heather Willis, 618-357-2126, hdwillis@illinois.edu