utility easements SSWD needed for new
pipelines in portions of Howe Park and
other parks managed by FECRPD. Even-tually
FECRPD and SSWD developed
an agreement whereby the park district
would donate the easements to the water
district, and in exchange SSWD would
32 SOURCE fall 2017
fund an educational water-wise garden
on an underutilized strip of patchy lawn
at Howe Park.
Once again the district and EcoLand-scape
California partnered to offer a series
of four classes and two hands-on training
days to create four public demonstration
gardens, each representing a different key
benefit of water-wise gardening: Sensible
Switchover, which represents the layout
of most Sacramento residential front
yards but features low-water plants and
low-maintenance solutions perfect for the
region’s climate; Wilder Wonders, a wild-er,
less-structured garden filled with col-or
and texture that is designed to provide
food and shelter for birds, butterflies, and
bees; Water Works, a working rain garden
that shows how plants can take in, filter,
and hold water in the soil; and Effortless
Edibles, which features low-water edibles
and aromatics that can provide goodies
for the table, and color for the home. Each
garden features an interpretive sign, with
a QR code that is linked to an audio tour
of the garden that is played on visitor’s
smart phones.
Learning from the previous proj-ect,
the partnership reduced the scope
of the proposed landscape transforma-tion
to ensure that it stayed within the
budget set by the district, and increased
the pre-project promotion to attract 31
training attendees. S
Interpretative signage made the two water-wise landscaping projects effective outreach tools.
