Become a Master Rain Gardener

Protect your home against flooding & help birds, & butterflies with a RAIN garden! We teach you *everything* we know about rain gardens. That includes lessons learned from more than 1,400 rain gardens built by homeowners just like you! Learn what works and what doesn’t. Ask questions in our live class! Visit a real rain garden in person! Neighborhood virtual breakout rooms and Facebook (or an alternate forum) for discussion/homework. Earn your certification – including a t-shirt and sign – by building your own rain garden, or adopting a public rain garden. Partners across southeast Michigan are looking forward to having you for the 2025 Master Rain Gardener course!

*Do you live in the following communities? You could qualify for FREE registration to the winter Master Rain Gardener course funded by the EPA-Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grant: Protecting Lake Erie Marsh and Waters. Please email Jill Martin to see if you qualify and to get the registration link!
Qualifying Zip Codes: Detroit (48209, 48217), Ecorse (48229), Inkster (48141), Lincoln Park (48146), Melvindale (48122), River Rouge (48218), Riverview (48193), Romulus (48174), Taylor (48180)

WINTER 2025 COURSE DETAILS

TIME: 10 AM – Noon
DATES: Five Thursdays, January 30, February 6, 13, 20, and 27
LOCATION: VIRTUAL, with an in-person outdoor tour

• Thurs. Jan 25, 1-2:30pm: 5 Ann Arbor Residential Gardens led by Huron River Watershed Council and Washtenaw County
• Thurs. Jan 25, between 1-4pm: Southfield Residential Garden led by Oakland County
• Wed. Jan 31, 1pm: West Bloomfield Residential Garden led by Oakland County
• Sat. Feb 3, 10am: Adrian- Lenawee Intermediate School District Center for Sustainability Garden + Green Roof led by River Raisin Watershed Council
• Sat. Feb 25, 1-2:30pm: Ann Arbor Residential Garden tour led by Huron River Watershed Council and Washtenaw County
• Tue. Feb 27, 3-5pm: Berkley Residential Rain Garden Tour led by Clinton River Watershed Council
• Thurs. Mar 7, 2-4pm: Plymouth- Plymouth Arts and Recreation Complex’s 25 Gardens led by Friends of the Rouge
• Additional garden tours TBD!

COST: $89 Early Bird Rate before January 15th ($380 value; sliding scale scholarships available, minimum fee of $20)

$150 for applications received after January 15th
*see above if you may qualify for FREE registration!

SELF-PACED OPTION

PARTNERS

Partners from across southeast Michigan have come together to offer the largest ever Master Rain Gardener Training Course, with capacity for over one hundred students drawn from across all of southeast Michigan. Students will be paired with expert instructors from their region, enjoying both one-on-one support and the friendly support of a small peer group of no more then ten fellow students.