Rainwater Harvesting Workshop - PART TWO - (Observing the Rain Garden Build)
Choose Your Workshop—or Experience Both!
PART ONE - August 29: Rainwater Harvesting Design
PART TWO - September 5: Observing the Rain Garden Build
Each workshop is designed to stand on its own, but together they provide a comprehensive introduction to creating beautiful, resilient landscapes that work with water instead of against it.
Instead of watching precious rainwater rush down the street and disappear into the storm drain, what if your landscape welcomed it, slowed it, spread it, and allowed it to soak back into the living soil?
Join Poly/Ana and Studio Petrichor for a two-part, hands-on workshop exploring the principles of rainwater harvesting through the design and installation of a functioning rain garden.
This is more than a lecture. Together we'll learn to read the landscape, understand how water naturally moves through a site and neighborhood, and discover how thoughtful design can transform runoff into a resource.
This isn't a "how-to"...it's how we have done it. We invite you to explore the possibility of how you might apply these same principles in your own landscape.
By the end of the workshop, you'll understand not only how a rain garden works, but why it works—and how these same principles can be applied to your own landscape.
PART ONE - Saturday, August 29th
Reading the Land + Designing with Water
We'll begin by learning to see the landscape through the lens of water.
Together we'll explore:
Reading the flow of water through a property and neighborhood
Understanding slope, drainage, and watershed patterns
Selecting the best location for a rain garden
Sizing and shaping infiltration basins
Living soils and why infiltration matters
Designing from inlet to overflow to backup systems
How slowing, spreading, and sinking water creates healthier ecosystems
How rain gardens fit into a larger whole-system approach to water harvesting
You'll leave with a new perspective on your own landscape and the confidence to begin recognizing opportunities for water harvesting at home.
PART TWO - Saturday, September 05
Observing the Rain Garden Build
This weekend brings the design to life.
Participants will observe a professional installation while gaining a behind-the-scenes understanding of how a rain garden is constructed from start to finish. Throughout the morning, you'll have opportunities to participate in select portions of the installation while learning from the design team and contractor.
Together we'll explore:
A review of the design process and construction sequencing
Site safety and installation best practices
Watching and participating in the rain garden take shape
Working with boulders, urbanite, logs, and other natural materials
Overflow details and finishing touches
Plant selection and planting techniques
Questions, discussion, and real-time problem solving during construction
Seeing an installation unfold in real time offers an understanding that's difficult to gain through books or videos alone.
Tickets
PART ONE (Saturday, August 29) $25 per person
PART TWO (Saturday, September 05) $25 per person
Attend both Saturdays: $40 per person
Tickets are non-refundable after August 10 but can be transferred to another attendee.
Event Details
☕ Coffee & Networking begins at 7:30 AM
🌡️ Due to summer temperatures, the workshop will begin promptly at 8:00 AM to take advantage of the cooler morning hours.
📍 Altadena — The exact address will be shared with registered participants 3 days prior to the workshop.
Each participant will receive:
🌿 A practical understanding of rain garden design and function
💧 Greater confidence evaluating opportunities on their own property
🪨 A simple framework for designing small-scale water harvesting projects
🌱 Planting and soil strategies that improve infiltration and water retention
🏡 A new way of seeing every landscape as part of the watershed
📓 A field journal, pen, and practice site plan for continued learning
Who Is This Workshop For?
Whether you're a homeowner, gardener, landscape professional, or simply curious about working with nature's water cycle, this workshop is for you.
No previous experience is necessary.
What to Bring
👕 Clothes and shoes you don’t mind getting a little earthy
🧴 Sun protection
🥾 Sturdy shoes or boots
🧤 Gardening gloves
💧 Reusable water bottle
☕ Coffee mug (we'll have coffee!)
📷 Camera
📓 Notebook
Media Notice
Photos and short video will be taken during the workshop for educational and promotional use. A media release will be signed at check-in.
Support the Movement
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