The UGA EcoScapes Sustainable Land Use Program has collaborated with the University of Connecticut and a team representing 13 states to develop a free app to help homeowners, landscapers and contractors design, install and maintain rain gardens.
The app, available for both iPhone and Android smartphones, uses video tutorials, diagrams, text and tools to help users determine the size and placement of their gardens.
The app also guides users through selecting appropriate native plants as well as providing information about digging, planting and maintaining gardens. It includes tools for determining soil type, measuring the size of an area that will drain to a garden and managing multiple garden projects.
“Rain gardens play an important role in sustainable landscapes because they collect stormwater runoff from roofs, driveways and yards and allow the water to infiltrate the ground,” said Keren Giovengo, EcoScapes program manager. “The gardens typically include native plants that can withstand high levels of moisture and nutrients. Rain gardens create colorful wildlife habitat areas within landscapes.”
EcoScapes is a program of UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, units of the UGA Office of Public Service and Outreach. EcoScapes developed and contributed a Georgia rain garden native plant database for the new multi-state app.
Georgia app users also will find soil drainage maps, a Google Maps-based sizing tool and Georgia “Call Before You Dig” contacts.
Information on how to use the app is available at http://marex.uga.edu/ecoscapes.