Get Inspired

The first step in creating a water efficient landscape is to get inspired and collect ideas. Experience how lush, shady and beautiful a fully-grown water efficient garden can be, read about gardens and listen to other gardeners.

Citizens attending a garden event

Go to the Water Conservation Garden 

The Water Conservation Garden is nearly six acres of themed gardens and exhibits. In our most recent survey, 57 percent of Helix customers who visited The Garden said they went home and used ideas from the garden in their own landscape.

  1. Location, Hours, Phone

Location
12122 Cuyamaca College Drive West in El Cajon

Hours
9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday

Phone
619-660-0614

Website

Dogs
Leashed, friendly dogs are welcome

  1. Exhibits
  1. Events
Eight for CivicPlus

See Helix's Demonstration Landscape

We built a new Demonstration Landscape at our administration office in La Mesa -- three gardens on three streets. Our garden on University Avenue features plants from the world’s Mediterranean climate zones. The garden on Lee Avenue showcases desert plants and Palo Verde trees. The garden on Quince Street demonstrates the casual beauty of plants and trees native to California and northern Baja. We built each garden right next to the public sidewalk, so you can enjoy them whenever you like.

  1. Location and Phone

Location
Helix Administration Office
7811 University Avenue
La Mesa, CA

Gardens
Gardens are next to the public sidewalk that surrounds our administration office on University Avenue, Lee Avenue and Quince Street.

Parking
Free parking on the street and in Helix parking lot on Quince Street

Phone
619-466-0585

  1. Learn About the Plants
  1. Download Our Plant Lists and Garden Plans

Read


eGuide to a WaterSmart Lifestyle
This award-winning, online guide provides step-by-step instructions for designing and installing a water efficient landscape, from design ideas to plant lists to graywater use.

WaterSmart Resources
This page on the San Diego County Water Authority's website offers tools and guides to answer all of your questions.

Sunset Magazine’s Water-Wise Garden Design Guide
Scroll through this article’s 18 beautiful photos, and the copy accompanying each one, and you will have a much better grasp of how to design your own water efficient landscape. Keep your eye on Sunset Magazine -- they include landscaping tips and articles in almost every issue.

Watch


A Growing Passion
A Growing Passion is a TV series on KPBS created by local garden designer and author Nan Sterman. You can watch all of the past episodes of the series on her website.

WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Videos
The San Diego County Water Authority turned their popular series of workshops into a series of on-demand videos. Class instructor Sharon Lowe walks you through designing, installing and caring for a water efficient landscape.