Rain Gardens: Beautiful Gardens that Soak Up Rain Where It Falls
Course | Registration opens 12/7/2026 8:00 AM EDT
One of the best ways to deal with stormwater runoff and the pollution it carries is to install a rain garden. Connie and Mike Schmotzer will explain why rain gardens are important and where you can site them on your property. Using rain gardens that they created on their own property as an example, they will offer general directions on how to plan, construct, and plant a rain garden. (Specific plants are a topic for a separate class).
Connie Schmotzer
Connie Schmotzer has been gardening with native plants for 30 years and finds that there is always something new and exciting to learn. She is retired from her job of 22 years as consumer horticulture educator for Penn State Extension, where she taught ways to garden ecologically. Prior to joining Penn State Extension, Schmotzer taught school in Williamsburg, VA and worked as a naturalist with the National Park Service in Wyoming.
Michael Schmotzer
Michael Schmotzer is a Penn State Master Gardener, class of 2010, and has taken a number of classes on pruning trees. He has relevant experience, including knowing when to call in the experts.