Macomb, IL — Over three days, community members rolled up their sleeves. They explored the science, design, and installation of rain gardens in a hands‑on workshop led by University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator Chris Enroth. The Rainscaping program blended classroom learning with real‑world practice and culminated in installing a new rain garden at Oakwood Cemetery in Macomb.
Participants spent two days in the classroom exploring the purpose of rain gardens, how to calculate drainage and size, plant selection, layout, and the three essential rain garden zones: the basin, slope, and bank. Each zone requires plants adapted to different moisture conditions — or, as Enroth explained, “how wet their feet will be and for how long.”
The class culminated in installing a rain garden at Oakwood Cemetery. The City of Macomb Public Works helped with site preparation, including adding the dip in the garden to create a basin. Class participants then planted more than 300 native seedlings, creating a functional and beautiful garden designed to capture and filter stormwater runoff. As heavy rainfall events become more frequent, rain gardens offer a practical way to reduce runoff from buildings and other impervious surfaces.
One participant, a Master Gardener, shared, “This is some of the best information I have had in terms of gardening in a long time.”
Enroth emphasized the collaborative nature of the workshop: “This class was developed in cooperation with Purdue University Extension after identifying the need for this information. We are happy to have worked with them on this class as well as the City of Macomb Public Works to make all of this happen. The rain garden will make a difference in the amount of runoff that would have continued from the site to the homes further down the hill.”
The rain garden gave participants a firsthand look at how to create an effective runoff mitigation tool, and it will continue to benefit the community long term. This demonstrates how thoughtful landscaping supports healthier waterways and more resilient neighborhoods.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 500 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through five program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, health and community wellness, and natural resources, environment, and energy.