As soon as you walk through the gate of the Water Conservation Garden, you know you’re somewhere special.
The garden provides a serene, sensory experience of sight, smell and sound. The garden began in 1999 as a joint project of the Helix and Otay Water Districts. The idea was to show people how to have a beautiful landscape while saving water. Over the years, nearly all of the other water districts in the county have become supporters of the garden.
Set on 6 acres of rolling hills, adjacent to Cuyamaca Community College in El Cajon, the garden invites you to immerse yourself in the horticultural beauty of Southern California.
"It’s very peaceful, and we have regulars that come here every day. They walk their dogs because we’re dog friendly. We love it when people bring their pets. We have wellness classes here Tuesday through Thursday," said Lauren Magnuson, the director of garden operations.
Opportunities for education are abundant in the garden. In one corner, there are side-by-side examples of backyards. One features a traditional lawn, the other drought-tolerant plantings. You learn that the one with the grass uses an average of 28,000 gallons of water per year, while the other needs only 6,000 gallons.
"San Diego and Southern California have become one of the pinnacles of saving water and we’re really proud of it because of places like this, and our education programs and our workshops and the other thing is people can come here and get rebate information from every single water district," said Magnuson.
The districts give most of the money to operate the garden, but members also offer some support. One of them, Ashley Albert, was visiting with her 5-year-old son Jayden recently. It was Jayden’s first visit, and it was memorable.
Jayden said he liked the butterfly exhibit best because he and his mom actually got to watch a Monarch butterfly hatch.
Magnuson pointed out some of the other benefits of the garden.
"We have a volunteer-run gift shop and they make the most beautiful succulents at really, really good prices. But when our membership comes into play, one great thing about that is when you’re a member of our garden, you get into the Japanese Friendship Garden for free, the San Diego Botanical Garden for free, and about 36 other gardens in California," she said.
In this garden, there are some rather unexpected sights. The Jurassic Trail in the children’s area leads you to an old piano and a xylophone — an opportunity to make a little music among all the greenery.
And then, an exhibit with a relatively new-looking washer and dryer. Turns out, the garden does its laundry there, but it’s also a place to learn.
"You can take your previously used water from your shower or your washing machine and you can use it to irrigate your landscape," Magnuson said. But she cautioned, you need to use a detergent that won't be harmful to your plants.
About 15-minutes east of downtown San Diego in good traffic, the Water Conservation Garden is worth a visit. A place to learn, relax and simply enjoy the beauty of nature, Southern California style.
