Water Efficient Landscape Gardens

The Water Efficient Landscape (WEL) demonstration gardens show that beautiful gardens can thrive in the Sacramento Valley on low amounts of supplemental summer water. The WEL is composed of five garden areas designed to offer a variety of landscaping options. Here are some pictures and descriptions of the areas. Signs within the garden show their locations, and most plants are labeled with markers denoting both common and botanical names. Click the links to see the WEL Garden plant list (pdf 106kb), and the California Native Garden plant list (pdf 120kb).

In addition to water-wise plant selection, the demonstration gardens incorporate various water efficient landscaping techniques. These include:

use of compost to improve soil structure and fertility
drip irrigation
mulch to reduce soil moisture loss and weed growth
swales to capture water
permeable concrete walks and patios to prevent run-off

2012 is the eighth season of growth for the WEL gardens. To read a history of the WEL gardens, click here. The gardens are open to the public during normal Fair Oaks Park hours (dawn to dusk). Take a self-guided tour of the gardens - most plants are labeled. Check out the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center Workshop Schedule to attend a workshop on growing and maintaining a water efficient landscape.