Samantha Porzelt, Water Resources Extension Agent
Rain gardens are a working landscape feature that receives stormwater runoff from impervious areas to work with nature to collect, filter, and infiltrate stormwater runoff, which allows them to manage erosion & moisture control issues, aid in water conservation, beautify the landscape, remove pollutants, and attract desirable wildlife. The goal of Clemson’s rain garden hybrid programming is to attract a diverse audience of individuals to utilize some or all of the online and in-person educational resources provided by Clemson Extension. To be inclusive and meet the needs of all individuals, beginner to advanced, residential to professional, varied educational methods such as online learning modules, websites, factsheets, discussion boards, in-person hands-on workshops, and informative signage are utilized by Clemson Extension to address different learning styles and accessibility.
Many of Clemson’s rain garden resources have been compiled into the Carolina Rain Garden Initiative website. This website houses free digital manuals for installing rain gardens and rainwater harvesting systems, free how-to install rain garden videos under the “Virtual Rain Garden” tab, and a link to our Master Rain Gardener course. Master Rain Gardener is a certification program focused on rain gardens and rainwater harvesting system design and installation. The Master Rain Gardener program will provide design standards and the knowledge-based skill set necessary to install rain gardens and rainwater harvesting systems on a residential scale. Rain gardens and rainwater harvesting offer residents and landscape professionals a management tool for flooding on property, erosion prevention, incorporation of native plants and backyard habitat into the lawn, and the establishment of a low-irrigation landscape.
The Master Rain Gardener program is a hybrid, multi-week curriculum allowing for self-paced online learning modules, hands-on field experience, and a two-track option to meet the needs of diverse audiences. The Certification Track is intended for contractors, landscape designers, landscape installers and other professionals who will install residential-scale rain gardens and rainwater harvesting systems for pay. In order to achieve certification, individuals must complete four weeks of Master Rain Gardener online course content, attend a full-day, in-person training and pass the course exam. Recognition as a certified Master Rain Gardener can serve as a marketing tool for professionals. The certification track is also open to residential audiences who wish to participate in the field day. The next offering for the certificate track will be in the fall of 2024. Registration will be open from July 9th-August 30th. To learn more and register, please visit this link.
Since 2018, the Master Rain Gardener program has reached 358 participants across the state of South Carolina. The online version has even reached participants from other states, such as California and New York. In 2024, Extension Associate Mallory Maher, Extension Agent Samantha Porzelt, and Extension Associate Susan Lunt highlighted this hybrid model in an educational poster to display at various conferences, including the 2024 South Carolina Association of County Agriculture Agents annual meeting, where the program poster won first place in the Extension Education category and is also a national finalist.
Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer.
