Harvest the Heavens!

Rainscapes recreate natural ecosystems to help soil capture and filter rain water, which prevents pollution runoff and erosion, while also recharging groundwater supplies. From simple rain barrels to elaborate rain gardens, Rainscapes are a wonderful mix of innovative approaches which help conserve our natural resources while creating habitat areas full of beauty and life. FAQs for Rainscapes

The Rainscapes Rewards Rebate Program is now accepting applications!

Click here for the application. Help your local watershed and beautify your neighborhood. Find out how to apply for funding to assist with rain barrels, rain gardens, permeable paver projects, native plant gardens, tree canopy and green roof projects!

Contractor Training Seminar
The Rainscapes Program offers a Contractor Training seminar for the purpose of educating contractors who are interested in or who have been providing services pertaining to rainscapes practices, whether it is design, installation or materials supply. The lists of attendees at the two seminars we have offered is posted. There may be other contractors in the county who are qualified to perform services related to the Rainscapes Rewards program but they did not attend the seminar. Please check references of all service providers. We just completed our Fall rain garden build days for contractors. Please watch our website for more information regarding this training opportunity. We plan to offer the classroom seminar again in the Spring as well as another hands-on rain garden training for contractors who have already attended the classroom session.

Below is a list of Contractors who have attended the RainScapes Contractor Training Classroom course:

March 2009
September 2009

Rainscapes Gazette
You can now subscribe electronically to obtain timely and valuable information about upcoming workshops, seminars, field trips, publications, and new resources dedicated to every aspect of Rainscapes, low impact development, and creative stormwater management.  To subscribe on our secure Montgomery County site, click above or on the eSubscription icon and follow the simple instructions.  Be sure to select Rainscapes Gazette, and any other Montgomery County publications of interest.

Rain Garden Plants

Rain Gardens are beautiful gardens which also improve water quality and reduce stormwater runoff.  The plants for rain gardens need to be able to withstand extreme conditions of moisture from the very wet to the very dry. This list has plants which have been successfully used in rain gardens in the Montgomery County, MD area.

Rain Barrel Workshops

The Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin is selling rain barrels that are tagged and monitored to calculate the effectiveness of the initiative. They provide guidance on how to install them and provide the necessary hardware with the purchase of the barrels. If you would like to purchase this kind of rain barrel (cost $90) and also sign up for one of their workshops,click here.
Also, check out the Anacostia Watershed Society Workshops

The City of Gaithersburg is partnering with the City of Rockville to create a Rainscapes Rewards program for residents of the two municipalities. Rainscapes Rewards, modeled after Montgomery County’s program, aims to help residential property owners improve stormwater runoff conditions on their property by installing more natural drainage projects. These projects are designed to reduce the amount of stormwater entering local streams, increase groundwater supply, and reduce chemical and nutrient pollutants entering waterways.

For more information on the seminars and the Gaithersburg & Rockville Rainscapes Rewards programs, Gaithersburg residents should call 301-258-6310 or email environment@gaithersburgmd.gov. Rockville residents should call 240-314-8870 or email environment@rockvillemd.gov.

Ann English of RainScapes Finalist for Award

Congratulations to Ann English of DEP's Rainscapes Program. Ann English was selected as one of five finalists for the Comcast Parent Involvement Matters Awards for her work at Rockville High School to revitalize the greenhouse, create a hands-on horticulture program, and install a rain garden and landscaped courtyard at the school.

Rain Barrel Survey! Please take this survey if you are considering installing a rain barrel or cistern. Thank you!

Rain Barrel Assembly Instructions
At long last, we've pulled together the assembly instructions (with a parts list) for the rain barrels offered through DEP's "Make & Take" workshops, including the recent Green Matters Symposium at Brookside Gardens.  The parts used in our design are all readily available at most home improvement centers and hardware stores -- except for the barrel.  We're still working on locating a free or inexpensive public source for refurbished, food grade barrels.  With the instructions above, and a barrel, anyone can assemble a large capacity rain barrel for as little as $15.

Rainscapes Gallery
A new page is in the works for our site!  Rainscapes Gallery will offer a virtual tour of new and significant rain garden and LID projects in our area.  In the future, we hope to provide case studies, budgets, and abundant photos, plans, and plant lists.  Click above or on the image to take a look.

Backyard Survey
Click here to download a quick and easy Backyard Survey in PDF format. There are 13 questions about your backyard and landscape habits, designed by the Center for Watershed Protection and the South River Federation, which together provide a sense of what a typical residential area looks like, with hints to make it more environmentally friendly. If you decide you "need more information" while completing the survey, look closer on this site and on the links we provide and you'll be well on your way! Return your survey to the DEP address or fax it to: 240.777.7765.  And, yes, we know this is pretty primitive.  We're working on it!

 

Brookside Rain Garden Workshop Presentation  [pdf]
Rain Gardens are Low Impact Development design tools for stormwater management. They have other values too such as habitat and curb appeal. Rain gardens solve site problems beautifully!

 

 

Rain Gardens: Harvesting the Heavens  [pdf]
For imaginative landscapers, rain gardens may represent the perfect marriage of heaven and earth. Specially-designed garden areas help to receive and store rainfall, using that moisture to nourish an oasis of interesting native plant communities reminiscent of lush stream banks and freshwater marshes.

Success in a Soggy Garden  [pdf]
Many homeowners are frustrated by low-lying areas in their yards which are always a bit on the soggy side. Fortunately, these wet areas can be turned into desirable landscapes which are beautiful, easy to maintain, and beneficial to the environment.  Using native or indigenous plants and a bit of creativity, you can transform mucky soils into lively gardens which will provide wildlife habitat, filter excess nutrients and pollutants from stormwater, recharge groundwater supplies, and control flooding.  Natives are essential to this reclamation of wet areas.  Over thousands of years, they have adapted to rainfall and seasonal temperature patterns; if you have a niche, they can and will fill it.
 

Native Grasses for a Naturally Elegant Landscape  [pdf]
The introduction of ornamental grasses to the American landscape is one of the defining moments in modern garden design.  These grasses, planted in clumps or large masses, recall elements of the nation's vanishing prairie, while adding sophistication and panache to even the most groomed garden.

Bald Cypress Trees Have a Thirst for Soggy Soils  [pdf]
Many homeowners are plagued by soggy or low-lying wet areas which seemingly transform suburban backyards into Cajun-friendly bayous.  Poor drainage, heavy soils, and excessive runoff from neighboring yards or roadways can make it almost impossible to grow much more than moss and alligators.  One solution to this swampy situation might be found in the bald cypress, a fast-growing, bog-friendly tree which not only thrives in moist environments, but can also sponge up and transpire many hundreds of gallons of water a day! 
 

 

Native Plant Nurseries [pdf]
Drawn from a variety of native plant society lists, these are reputable dealers for both retail and wholesale markets in the Metropolitan Washington area, including Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

 

 

Green Landscaping : Landscaping with Native Plants
This EPA website reports on the environmental and economic benefits of using native plant materials for landscape plantings. It also discusses issues surrounding the aesthetics of natives.

Low Impact Development Center - Rain Garden Design Templates
This site was developed through an NFWF grant to display a series of rain garden, or bioretention, design templates that can be used by landscape architects, landscape contractors, and garden clubs throughout the Bay. These designs are intended to promote the use of rain gardens and Bayscapes by providing a set of easily accessible high quality sustainable and maintainable designs for the landscape industry and citizens. A demonstration rain garden was constructed at Brookside Gardens and showcases rain garden plants for sun and shade.

Residential Uses of LID [Low Impact Development]
Hold the mouse cursor over any colored part of the image to identify the LID technique that is being used in this setting. Click on this same area to go directly to the relevant design page.

Design of Infiltration Practices
This slide show presents basic design guidance for stormwater infiltration systems, which include infiltration trenches, shallow infiltration basins and porous pavement.

Mid-Atlantic Region Green Landscaping
EPA - Conserving Natural Resources: Roughly 30% of the water used in urban areas in the East goes to irrigate plants, mostly lawns; in the West this figure is 60%! With droughts and water restrictions becoming more common, creating gardens that don't require much watering is becoming more important than ever.

Community Watershed Assessment Handbook
The Community Watershed Assessment Handbook is a simple and straightforward watershed assessment tool that is intended to direct community groups and local governments in conducting a comprehensive environmental assessment. The purpose of the handbook is to outline a basic process for assessing your community’s current and anticipated future watershed conditions. In addition, the manual offers guidance for using the resulting assessment information as a foundation for future watershed management planning.

Landscaping for a Healthy Planet
So you're interested in learning more about planting an environmental landscape? As you'll find in this site healthy and native landscaping is becoming more popular every day! It's fun, easy, and you can plant an environmentally friendly garden anywhere; your backyard, a rooftop, even on an abandoned city block. So come, join us, and learn more about how you can save time, money, and have fun while protecting the environment.

Low Impact Development for Schools
A new website resource for schools to use for LID and sustainable stormwater practices as part of an EPA Office of Water Assistance Agreement.

BayScapes: Conservation Landscaping
Today, few of us have the time or resources needed to maintain a formal landscape. As a result, people are exploring alternatives to traditional landscapes, and many have responded with a more natural yard. In the Chesapeake Bay watershed, this style is called BayScaping. BayScapes are environmentally-sound landscapes benefiting people, wildlife and Chesapeake Bay. BayScaping advocates a holistic approach through principles inspired by relationships found in the natural world.

Northern Virginia Lawn Care Operators
With Water Quality Agreements
Click above to view a new list of professional lawn care services in Northern Virginia who have signed the Water Quality Improvement Agreement with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. These companies offer their customers lawn care services to minimize pollution in order to protect our waterways while maintaining green and healthy lawns.

Reduce Runoff, Slow It Down, Spread It Out, Soak It In
Learn about Rain Gardens on this EPA webcast from 2008. Three presentations detail rain garden basics. Click here for nested video features a wide range of stormwater management practices which homeowners and individual business owners could implement to reduce stormwater runoff and improve the environment.

webmaster@rainscapes.org

Last updated: 09/05/2006