Rain Garden

Name: Rain Garden
Author: University of Connecticut

University of Connecticut

DOCUMENTED

Published in academic literature

For:General Public & EnthusiastsIndustry Professionals

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App Summary

The Rain Garden app provides homeowners, landscapers, and contractors with educational resources and interactive tools to design, install, and maintain rain gardens that reduce polluted water runoff. The associated research describes the app as a mobile educational tool designed to complement traditional outreach efforts and address water quality issues by making expert guidance more accessible. By providing tutorials, a plant selector, and sizing calculators, the authors aim to encourage the adoption of rain gardens as a strategy for managing stormwater.

App Screenshots

Detailed Description

Functionality & Mechanism Developed by the University of Connecticut's Center for Land Use Education and Research, the system facilitates the design, installation, and maintenance of rain gardens. Its interface integrates educational content, video tutorials, and a suite of interactive tools. These modules calculate appropriate garden dimensions, assess site soil suitability via a drainage map, and guide plant selection from a native species catalog. The system also furnishes a cost calculator and a management function for tracking multiple gardens and maintenance schedules.

Evidence & Research Context

The app was developed to address water quality issues by promoting the installation of rain gardens, which mitigate polluted stormwater runoff.
Associated research describes the system as a mobile educational tool designed to complement in-person outreach efforts by improving access to technical guidance.
The system's design incorporates interactive tools to assist with key technical calculations, including site-specific soil evaluation, garden sizing, and appropriate plant selection.

Intended Use & Scope The system is intended as a practical planning and implementation resource for homeowners, landscapers, and contractors. Its primary utility is for small-scale rain garden projects. The embedded plant catalog and soil mapping tools are currently specific to Connecticut. The tool does not substitute for professional engineering or hydrological consultation for large-scale or complex installations.

Studies & Publications

1 publication

Peer-reviewed research associated with this app.

Development/Design Paper

Encouraging rain garden installation with a smart phone app

Dietz et al. (2013) · Journal of Extension

Describes the research-driven development of this app

A smart phone mobile application (app) has been created to assist landscapers, contractors and home owners in designing, installing, and maintaining rain gardens. It seeks to address water quality issues by taking advantage of the rapidly increasing use of mobile devices to access educational information and complement existing in-person educational efforts to address water quality issues. In addition to a series of tutorials, the app includes several interactive tools to help users size their garden, evaluate their soils, and select proper plants. The initial version of the app is focused on Connecticut, but a national version is planned.

In the Media

From Puddles to Pollinators: Rain Gardens are Transforming Connecticut Landscapes - UConn Today

UConn Extension developed the Rain Garden app to help Connecticut residents manage stormwater runoff using natural landscaping solutions that capture and filter water through plants and mulch. Senior extension educator Mike Dietz leads the statewide expansion effort, stating "I like the hands-on aspect of Extension water programs where I can see tangible things happening." The program provides multiple resources including the app, free online courses, and workshops to protect the Long Island Sound watershed.

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Rain Gardens

The University of Connecticut's NEMO Program developed Rain Garden to help New England homeowners design shallow landscape depressions that capture stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces like roofs and driveways. The app addresses runoff pollution, which the United States Environmental Protection Agency has cited as "a major source of pollution to our nation's waterways." Rain gardens provide pollutant treatment through adsorption, decomposition, ion exchange, and volatilization while increasing groundwater recharge.

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The NEMO Rain Garden App - Reborn!

Nearly eight years ago, CLEARs NEMO program first launched an app to help homeowners, landscapers, developers, and municipalities properly site, size, install, and maintain a rain garden to help protect their water resources. The app has since expanded to include state-specific rain garden sizing and plant information for 25 states. Now, the app has received a new update that will allow it to work on ANY device with a web browser PC, tablet, iPhone, or even an Android phone! This webinar covers how the app works, how you can access it, and how you can use it for public outreach.

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Build a Rain Garden this Spring with NEMO's New App & Website

The app and website are aimed at homeowners, landscape professionals, municipal staff, or others who are interested in properly installing one or more rain gardens. This webinar will provide a live demonstration of the dynamic features of the app, which include a searchable plant database and tools that help site, size and install your rain garden properly. It will also highlight the features of NEMO & Connecticut Fund for the Environments new Rain Garden website for those without a smartphone.

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Rain Garden App Puts UConn on Apples Stage

UConn's Center for Land Use Education and Research developed the Rain Garden app to assist landscapers, contractors, and homeowners in designing and maintaining rain gardens that collect storm water runoff, collaborating with Connecticut Sea Grant Program and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. According to Mike O'Neill, director of cooperative extension at UConn, "This app has national implications. In the future, this is how knowledge will be delivered." The app is available through Apple's iTunes App Store with plans for a national version and Android release later this year.

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