Gardenscapes

The Gardenscapes project was developed by a committee of local participants on 2005 including Mike Branning, Klaus Wille, Spelman Evans Downer, and District staff.  Grants and sponsors played a major role in the garden. 

Gardenscapes encompasses and assortment of landscape techniques designed to show homeowners and business owners that conservation doesn't mean "unattractive".  As on strolls through the demonstration garden, there are a lot of concepts that can be used in the local residential and commercial landscapes.  There are low awater, desert adaptive plants.  Plants are groupsed by their water requirements, called hydrozones.  This allows for just the right amount water application for the plant types.  The unique mixture and placement of rocks lend and enhanced depth to the design and provides areas to stop, rest and enjoy the surroundings.

Special garden elements:

• The Opuntia Garden by Spelman Evans Downer, located in the flas flood catch basin is loosely based on Japanese Zen Gardens.  The three large boulders are granite geologic fragments of the San Bernardino Mountains tumbled the eons into the Coachella Valley where they became parked in the path of the incessant winds that funnel through the San Gorgonia Pass.  From and Edison Electric right of way, they have been brought up to their new home.
• The first rotating exterior public art display includes three sculptures by Randy Addy of Pioneertown - - a set of granite twins at the northeast corner of the garden, a picturesome sculpture on the north central side of the building in front of the Board Room, and a granite brass piece on the northwestern portion of the project.  For more information on the artist, visit www.randyaddy.com.
• Lisa Rosati, an earthworks artist, brings to the project a desert tortoise.  This hatching was actually born on site.
• On the southwest corner of the building and parking lost will be the future home of the Save the Ancients, native garden.
• Outside the Customer Service entrance on either side are Spelman Downer's Mojave Mini Mountains, comprised of two dry gardens with arranged seki quality stones.  Spelman's seki quality stones are stones with high quality patinas and special shapes; in this case, stones with dark desert varnish and wind eroded textures.  The design of these dry gardens is based on the Japanese notion that gardens should reflect a microcosm of the larger landscape environment.  Here in the morongo basin we have many myriad small mountain ranges that stretch across the terrain, which are generally linear with edges that break down to rock piles a their edges.  Hense you find our transforming desert mountains represented in miniature in this exhibit.
  The stones are carefully arranged asymmetrically in decomposed granite, which is periodically raked with a splayed hand.  Each time it is raked the design changes slightly and the composition is put back in balance. 
• For those who just have to have a lawn, what can be better than a lawn that saves on the water bill?  TurfTechonologies donated the "grass" around the flagpole on the south side of the building.  Go ahead?  Kick off your shoes.
• The interior of the customer service area is also a showcase of Art in Public Places.  After all we couldn't just stop outside.  The exhibit rotates monthly with the talents of local artists. 

Gardenscape Sponsors:

Unique Garden Center
Whitewater Rock & Supply
Copper Montain College
Mojave Water Agency
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Aaron Scott
Burrtec
County of San Bernardino
Hi-Desert Star
Hi-Grade Materials
KDB Custom Lighting & Electric
Morongo Basin Transit Authority
Rain Bird
Signs by Wanda
Turf Technologies, Inc.
Z107.7 Radio