Rain Garden Events Offered in September

August 14, 2014By 0 comment

Bluegrass Greensource will be hosting several Rain Garden Workshops this fall in Clark, Madison, and Woodford Counties. Each workshop is FREE and open to the public.

Fall workshop dates include:

September 4, 2014     Madison County Extension Office

September 6, 2014     Midway Christian Church

September 20, 2014   The Generations Center (Winchester)

September 27, 2014   Sustainable Berea

raingarden

“Bluegrass Greensource is so excited to host these rain garden workshops in Central Kentucky,” said Kara Sayles, rain garden project coordinator. “We are also offering a limited number of $250 grants to eligible residents who want to build their own rain garden.” Only residents of Bourbon, Clark, Jessamine, Madison, Scott, and Woodford counties who attend a workshop are eligible to apply for these grants.

A rain garden is a garden planted in a shallow depression which is strategically located on a property where it captures stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces, such as rooftops, patios, and driveways, before it enters the stormwater system. The soil and plant roots use natural processes to improve water quality by filtering pollutants, the overall amount of stormwater runoff is reduced, and the groundwater supply is recharged.

The workshops are designed to educate homeowners about the benefits of installing a rain garden and improving water quality, and the best management practices for stormwater. Participants will learn how to determine the right location for a rain garden, how to build and maintain a rain garden, and what types of plants are most successful and environmentally beneficial. Additionally, the participants will have the opportunity to take part in planting native plants in a rain garden near the workshop.

“We are proud to educate Kentucky homeowners about the numerous benefits of rain gardens and to demonstrate a tool that virtually anyone can use to manage runoff on their property,” states Kara. Space is limited for workshops, so to register or learn more details, please visit Bluegrass Greensource’s website.

Additionally, we are offering a Rain Garden Tour in Fayette County on Sunday, September 14th from 2-5pm. Participants will tour several residential rain gardens in the Meadowthorpe neighborhood. The tour will begin at the Meadowthorpe Community Center at 333 Larch Lane, Lexington. Contact Kara Sayles for more information.

This work was funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under §319(h) of the Clean Water Act. Bluegrass Greensource (formerly Bluegrass PRIDE) is an environmental non-profit organization that offers resources and educational information to foster positive environmental change in their communities. Founded in 2001, Greensource provides outreach to schools, community groups, businesses, local government, and citizens in Central Kentucky.

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Greensource to Offer Rain Garden Workshop at Annual Whippoorwill Festival

June 12, 2014By 0 comment

Bluegrass Greensource will be hosting a series of Rain Garden Workshops in Woodford, Clark, and Madison Counties this summer and fall. Residents of Woodford, Clark, and Madison Counties that attend a workshop are eligible to apply to receive a grant of $250 to construct a rain garden at their homes.

RainGarden

The first event in the series will be hosted in Madison County at Homegrown Hideaways on July 11 and 12. This workshop will be one of many workshops offered that day, focused on a variety of sustainability topics, at the Whippoorwill Festival.

The first day of the workshop will promote best management practices for stormwater and is designed to educate homeowners about the benefits of installing a rain garden and improving water quality. Participants will learn how to determine the right location, how to build and maintain a rain garden, and what types of plants are most successful and environmentally beneficial. Additionally, the participants will have the opportunity to take part in planting native plants in a rain garden near the workshop.

The second day of the workshop will promote planting of milkweed and other native plant species that help support monarch butterflies lifecycle. The workshop will discuss why the Monarchs need our help and what benefit native plant species have to the butterflies and other pollinators. It will also cover how to construct a waystation and what plants to choose.

Both sections of the workshop will offer a hands-on component, while constructing a rain garden/ monarch waystation at Homegrown Hideaways.

Please check updates to Bluegrass Greensource’s website for more Rain Garden opportunities coming soon.

This work was funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under §319(h) of the Clean Water Act.

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Rain Garden Workshops Uncover Lots of Interest

November 14, 2013By 0 comment

Rain Garden photo - Scott County

As the weather gets cooler, rain gardens are starting to die back above ground. Yet under the ground, the roots are still very much alive, absorbing water and nutrients to help the plants survive the long winter ahead. Now we can sit back and dream of our rain gardens that will grow next spring and summer.

That is exactly what many homeowners that attended one of our recent rain garden workshops hosted in Jessamine, Scott, and Bourbon Counties will be doing this winter. Not only did participants of these workshops learn about rain gardens, but they were also encouraged to design a rain garden for their property and apply for a grant to help turn the design into a reality. All grant applications are due back to Kara Sayles at kara@bgGreensource.org by Monday, November 18th.

Our goal for the workshops was to help citizens create a successful rain garden in their yard that will thrive for years to come. The workshops showcased what rain gardens are, why they are beneficial, and how to construct one. They also included a hands-on component, led by local nursery professionals that involved planting a garden. These professionals are available for consultations to our workshop participants for their rain garden design and show them which plants will work best for specific yard conditions.

The workshops filled up quickly and were a huge success. We will be conducting a similar round of workshops in Woodford, Clark, and Madison Counties next Fall. We encourage residents of those counties to check back regularly for information about these workshops on our web page at www.BGgreensource.org/rain-gardens/.

We would like to give a huge thank you to the Kentucky Division of Water for supporting our rain garden program in these six counties.  We also thank the following organizations for partnering with us during this adventure: UK’s Agriculture Extension Offices, Springhouse Gardens, Shooting Star Nursery, Ruddles Mill Nursery, Eco Gro, CDP Engineers, and the Scott County Conservation District. Your help was crucial in making this round of workshops so successful!

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RAIN GARDEN WORKSHOP IN BOURBON COUNTY

October 16, 2013By 0 comment
An example of a rain garden, located at Spring House Gardens, Nicholasville, Ky.
An example of a rain garden, located at Spring House Gardens, Nicholasville, Ky.

Bluegrass Greensource is hosting the last rain garden workshop for the fall on October 19th at the Bourbon County Library in Paris.  The workshop is free and open to the public, thanks to the generous support of a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under §319(h) of the Clean Water Act.   If you are interested in attending, register at  https://bourboncoraingardenworkshop.eventbrite.com/.

“Bluegrass Greensource is so excited to host the rain garden workshop in Bourbon County,” said Kara Sayles, rain garden project coordinator, “and we are also offering a limited number of $250 grants to eligible residents for constructing their own rain garden.”  Only residents in Jessamine, Scott and Bourbon counties are eligible to apply for these grants.

A rain garden is a garden with a shallow depression which is strategically located on a property to capture stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces, such as rooftops, patios and driveways, before it enters the storm water system. The soil and plant roots use natural processes to improve water quality by filtering pollutants, the overall amount of stormwater runoff is reduced, and the groundwater supply is recharged.

The workshop is designed to educate homeowners about the benefits of installing a rain garden and improving water quality, and the best management practices for stormwater. Participants will learn how to determine the right location, how to build and maintain a rain garden, and what types of plants are most successful and environmentally beneficial. Additionally, the participants will have the opportunity to take part in planting native plants in a rain garden near the workshop.

“We are proud to educate Kentucky homeowners on the numerous benefits of rain gardens and to demonstrate that they’re a tool that virtually anyone can use to manage their property’s runoff,” Sayles said. Space is limited for workshops, so interested participants must register at https://bourboncoraingardenworkshop.eventbrite.com/.  Plans are in the works to offer additional rain garden workshops next fall in Woodford, Clark and Madison Counties.

This work was funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under §319(h) of the Clean Water Act. Bluegrass Greensource (formerly Bluegrasss PRIDE) is an environmental non-profit organization that offers resources and educational information to foster positive environmental change in their communities. Founded in 2001, Greensource provides outreach to schools, community groups, businesses, local government and the citizens in Central Kentucky.

 

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Upcoming workshops will teach homeowners about benefits of rain gardens

September 12, 2013By 0 comment

Bluegrass Greensource will host rain garden workshops this fall in Jessamine, Scott and Bourbon counties. Each workshop is free and open to the public, thanks to the generous support of a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under §319(h) of the Clean Water Act. Dates of the workshops are:

Sept. 28 Springhouse Gardens, Nicholasville

Oct. 12 Scott County Extension Office, Georgetown

Oct. 19 2013 Bourbon County Library, Paris

“Bluegrass Greensource is so excited to host these rain garden workshops in Central Kentucky,” said Kara Sayles, rain garden project coordinator, “and we are also offering a limited number of $250 grants to eligible residents for constructing their own rain garden.”
 

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Richard Webber, owner of Spring House Gardens, plants his own rain garden.

Only residents in Jessamine, Scott and Bourbon counties are eligible to apply for these grants.

A rain garden is a garden with a shallow depression which is strategically located on a property to capture stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces, such as rooftops, patios and driveways, before it enters the storm water system. The soil and plant roots use natural processes to improve water quality by filtering pollutants, the overall amount of stormwater runoff is reduced, and the groundwater supply is recharged.

The workshops are designed to educate homeowners about the benefits of installing a rain garden and improving water quality, and the best management practices for stormwater. Participants will learn how to determine the right location, how to build and maintain a rain garden, and what types of plants are most successful and environmentally beneficial. Additionally, the participants will have the opportunity to take part in planting native plants in a rain garden near the workshop.

“We are proud to educate Kentucky homeowners on the numerous benefits of rain gardens and to demonstrate that they’re a tool that virtually anyone can use to manage their property’s runoff,” Sayles said. Space is limited for workshops, so interested participants must register at Greensource’s website.

Plans are in the works to offer additional rain garden workshops next fall in Woodford, Clark and Madison Counties.

This work was funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under §319(h) of the Clean Water Act. Bluegrass Greensource (formerly Bluegrasss PRIDE) is an environmental non-profit organization that offers resources and educational information to foster positive environmental change in their communities. Founded in 2001, Greensource provides outreach to schools, community groups, businesses, local government and the citizens in Central Kentucky.

This article appeared in KY Forward on September 12, 2013.

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