Resources for Water-Wise Gardeners

Below are resources that the Water Conservation Garden has compiled as a service to those who seek assistance with water-wise landscaping.  The Garden is not responsible for any of these programs or resources, and cannot assure customer satisfaction.

• Books
• Community Association (HOA) Directory of Resources
• Fall/Winter Conservation Tips
• Fire Safety
• Garden Hotlines
• Garden Partners
• General Water Smart Landscape Information
• Incentive Programs
• Invasive Plants
• Irrigation
• Landscape Professionals
• Member Agencies
• Native Plants
• Nurseries
• Other Resources
• Plant Lists
• San Diego County Gardens
• Soil, Mulch & Compost
• Trees
• Water Conservation Training Graduates

 

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Books

• "California Gardener's Guide, Volume II" by Nan Sterman
• "California Native Plants for the Garden" by Carol Bornstein, David Fross, and Bart O'Brien
• "Care and Maintenance of Southern California Native Plant Gardens"  by Bart O'Brien, Betsey Landis, and Ellen Mackey
• "California Wildfire Landscaping" by Maureen Gilmer

These books are available in the Water Conservation Garden gift shop.

 

Community Association (HOA) Directory of Resources

• www.WaterSmartConservation.org

 

Fall/Winter Water Conservation Tips

• Water Conservation Tips from the San Diego County Water Authority

 

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Fire Safety

• Firewise Landscaping pamphlet (PDF)
  
• Home Safety Survey: Reduce Your Vulnerability to Wildfire (PDF)
• Fire and Watershed Management Guide
• Fire Resistive Plant list

 

Garden Hotlines

• Water Smart Pipeline:   866-962-7021  
  The Pipeline is open
  
  • Tuesday mornings, 8:30 am – 12:00 pm
  • Thursday afternoons, 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
    
  • Click here for Water Smart Pipeline FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
    
    
    
• San Diego Master Gardeners
  858-694-2860  M-F, 9-3
  Focus is on vegetables, fruits, ornamentals, pest management
  
  
• Master Gardeners of Orange County
  714-708-1646,  24/7
  hotline@uccemg.com,  24/7
  Leave a message or send an email. We return all contacts within seven days, usually much sooner. Focus is on all garden-related subjects.
  
  
• Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden
  909-624-0838 
  Leave a message and your call will be returned as soon as possible.
  Focus is on native plants.

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Garden Partners

The Garden is grateful for the support of the following businesses and agencies who support us through our Garden Partners contributions program. Visit our Garden Partners page for more information about the program, as well as links to our partners.

BUILDING INDUSTRY

• Pardee Homes

MEDIA

• Cox Conserves/ We Stand 4

NURSERIES

• Miramar Wholesale Nurseries

UTILITY COMPANIES

• Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
• Fallbrook Public Utility District
• American Water
• San Diego Gas and Electric Company
• Vallecitos Water District
• Ramona Water District

WATER INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

• Poseidon Resources

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General Water Smart Landscape Information

• Be Water Wise
• 20-Gallon Challenge
  • Also on the 20-Gallon Challenge site:
    A Web-Based Gardening Tool – Plan Your Water-Wise Landscape. Get Ideas on Plants, Designs, and More!
    

 

Incentive Programs

• San Diego County Water Authority & Participating Member Agencies
  1-888-376-3314

 

Invasive Plants

• California Invasive Plant Council
  510-843-3902

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Irrigation

• Landscape Calculator
  This web based calculates irrigation schedules.
  
  
• Watering Index
  This tool provides information for irrigation controllers with a percent adjust or global adjust key.
  
  
• Landscape Irrigation Tutorial
  

 

Landscape Professionals

• Landscape Construction
  California Landscape Contractors Association
  
  
• Landscape Design
  American Society of Landscape Architects
  
  
• Water Managers certified by the California Landscape Contractors' Association
  
  
• Landscape Designers who give advice at Garden festivals
  

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Member Agencies

San Diego County Water Authority 4677 Overland Ave. San Diego, CA 92123 (858) 522-6600	City of San Diego Water Department 600 B Street, Suite 1210 San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 533-5300
Cuyamaca College 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway El Cajon, CA 92019 (619) 660-4000	Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense partners program
Helix Water District 7811 University Ave. La Mesa, CA 91941 (619) 466-0585	Otay Water District 2554 Sweetwater Springs Blvd. Spring Valley, CA 91978-2096 (619) 670-2777
Sweetwater Authority 505 Garrett Ave. P.O. Box 2328 Chula Vista,  CA  91912 (619) 420-1413

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Native Plants

• California Native Plant Society
• The San Diego Chapter of the Califoria Native Plant Society

 

Nurseries

• Click here for nurseries that carry "Water Smart" plants. 
  This list of nurseries has been compiled by the Metropolitan Water District of southern California.

 

Other Resources

• Global Water Partnership
• San Diego Cactus & Succulent Society
• San Diego Horticultural Society
• Water Saver Home
• American Public Gardens Association
• San Diego Natural History Museum
• San Diego Audubon Society

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Plant Lists

• 2009 Nifty 50 plant list – non-illustrated (PDF). This list is a subset of the larger California-Friendly® plant list, for those who would like fewer options.
  
  
• 2009 Nifty 50 plant list – illustrated (PDF, 1.4 MB).
  
  
• California-Friendly® plant list – listed alphabetically by common name (PDF). For those who would like to use a smaller list, see our Nifty 50 plant list, which is a subset of this larger list.
  
  
• California-Friendly® plant list – listed alphabetically by botanical name (PDF).
  
  
• California-Friendly® Garden Guide at BeWaterWise.com.
  

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San Diego County Gardens

• The Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College
  12122 Cuyamaca College Drive West, El Cajon, CA 92019
  619-660-0614
  
  
• California Friendly Landscape Contest Winners
  
  
• Elfin Forest Fire Safe Garden
  20223 Elfin Forest Road, Escondido, CA 92029
  760-744-2186
  
  
• Quail Botanical Gardens
  230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas, CA 92024
  760-436-3036
  
  
• San Diego County Water Authority
  4677 Overland Avenue, San Diego, CA 92123
  858-522-6600
  
  
• San Diego Zoo
  2920 Zoo Driver, San Diego, CA 92112
  619-231-1515
  
  
• San Diego Wild Animal Park
  15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA 92027-8702
  760-747-8702
  

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Soil, Mulch & Compost

• Search the internet or yellow pages, or contact your local tree service.
  
  
• For free mulch and compost, contact:
  
  Miramar Greenery
  5180 Convoy & Highway 52, San Diego, CA
  858-492-6100
  
  
• For composting classes and information, contact:
  
  Solana Center for Environmental Innovation
  137 N. El Camino Real
  Encinitas, CA 92024
  760-436-7986
  

 

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Trees

• Water Wise tree Care for the San Diego Region
  
  
• The California Center for Sustainable Energy provides free shade trees to homeowners. 
  858-244-1181
  
  
• Professional Tree Care Association
  619-262-1083
  
  
• International Society of Arboriculture
  

 

Water Conservation Training Graduates

• Graduates of the Water Conservation Garden Program

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