Demonstration Rain Gardens

Demonstration rain gardens are in public spaces and intended for visitors to learn more about the appearance, function and design of rain gardens. If you live within the Charleston Tri-county region of South Carolina, use this map to locate a demonstration rain garden in your community. If you live in other regions of the state, see below list to find a rain garden near you. 

Click the map for a PDF version.

Find more rain gardens near you!

Upstate Demonstration Rain Gardens

• Pickens County Recycling Center
  2043 Old Liberty Rd
  Liberty, SC
  Description: This is a shade rain garden full of ferns and other shade loving plants. The rain garden was installed by the Pickens County Beautification & Environmental Advisory Committee and is located beside the environmental education building. 
• Clemson SC Department of Natural Resources Office 
  311 Natural Resources Dr
  Clemson, SC
  Description: Rain garden is located behind the Clemson DNR office and includes a plethora of South Carolina native plants.
• South Carolina Botanical Garden
  150 Discovery Lane
  Clemson, SC
  Description: There are two rain gardens adjacent to the Hayden Conference Center, one off the back of the building and one across the road between the first and second parking lots. This second garden is a tiered garden and intercepts a great deal of water coming off of the steep drive. 
• Darwin Wright Park
  106 Anderson Beach Boulevard
  Anderson, SC
  Description: Rain garden can be found between the picnic shelter and playground and includes many sun-loving native and non-native plants.
• Cater's Lake
  Greenville St
  Anderson, SC
  Description: Rain garden intercepts water on its way from the upper parking lot to the lake and is planted with shade-tolerant plants

Midlands Demonstration Rain Gardens

• Dent Middle School
  2721 Decker Blvd
  Columbia, SC 29206
  Description: Seventy 7th grade students from Dent Middle School helped to install this 200 ft2 garden on November 16th, 2018. The school was awarded the 2018 Green Steps School Rain Garden Grant program led by Clemson Extension and The Nature Conservancy.
• Richland County Public Works Facility 
  400 Powell Road
  Columbia, SC
  Description: Rain garden is established and contains mature trees and shrubs; locate the landscaped bed between the parking lot area and the stormwater pond. The rain garden measures nearly 1700 square feet and functions to capture and treat stormwater runoff from the adjacent parking lot.  
• Timrod Park Drive
  400 Timrod Park Drive
  Florence, SC 29501
  Description: The Timrod Park rain garden helps manage stormwater runoff, provide wildlife habitat and beautify this popular City park.

Lowcountry Demonstration Rain Gardens

• Medway Community Garden
  2101 Medway Road
  James Island, SC 29412
  Description: This rain garden and rainwater harvesting system are part of the Medway Community Garden in beautiful Riverland Terrace neighborhood. The Charleston Parks Conservancy maintains this site. The rain garden and cistern were installed as part of the Clemson Master Rain Gardener field day in spring of 2018.  The site features a 750 gallon cistern with overflow directed towards a nearly 150 square foot rain garden.
• Beaufort County Government Annex
  102 Beaufort Industrial Village Road
  Beaufort, SC 
  Description: Rain garden drains a 12,000 square foot impervious surface of office complex. Planted with mostly native plants by Clemson Extension Master Gardeners.
• Caw Caw Interpretive Center
  5200 Savannah Highway
  Ravenel, SC
  Description: Located next to the picnic shelter, this is an example of a shade rain garden. The overflow from a rain barrel helps to keep this rain garden irrigated. Planted with shade-loving native plants by a Master Naturalist.
• Clemson Coastal Research and Education Center
  Located in West Ashley on Highway 17 across from the USDA Vegetable Laboratory
  Charleston, SC 
  Description: Rain garden is located in the Urban Research and Demonstration Area as part of the Coastal Research and Education Center, locally known as the "Clemson farm." Look for the sign and pull off along Highway 17. The rain garden was installed and maintained by Tri-County Master Gardeners. 
• Town of Mount Pleasant Fire Department Station #2
  Paul Foster Road
  Mount Pleasant, SC 
  Description: Rain garden was installed as part of a Rain Garden Workshop for Professionals in November, 2015. The rain garden is located in between the fire station and the softball field, look for rain garden interpretive signage. 
• MUSC Urban Farm
  29 Bee St
  Charleston, SC 29403
  Description: This rain garden and rainwater harvesting system are located at the Urban Farm on the Medical University of South Carolina's campus. The rain garden and 500 gallon cistern capture the water from an outdoor kitchen facility and were installed as part of the Clemson Master Rain Gardener field day in fall of 2018.