Jeri Deneen and Jon Powell
San Diego
Water Conservation Garden
900 Rancho San Diego Parkway, El Cajon
San Diego County Thomas Guide page 1271, grid J5

Living with an average of 10 inches of rain annually, San Diegans must develop alternative water supplies through every possible means, including conservation.

Completed in 1999, the Water Conservation Garden features exhibits, paths, signs and more than 600 plant species as well as sculpture designed to enhance, yet blend with the surroundings.

"It was a tremendously exciting opportunity designing not only the garden but all of the sculptural elements as well," said artist Jeri Deneen of the project.

The garden experience begins just outside the front gate where a river of pebbles and boulders meanders across the pavement and into the entrance plaza. As visitors follow the pebbles to their source, they find a seven-foot-diameter aqueduct with a trickle of water and a puff of vapor emptying into a small pool. It's a graphic reminder of San Diego's position at the end of California's water pipeline.

The garden's soul is found along its winding paths that trace three thematic sections, each emphasizing a crucial element in water-wise gardening: design, maintenance and irrigation. The vegetation is lush and creates a living tapestry of forms, colors and textures that welcomes and envelops visitors, offering a tranquil respite from the hectic strip-mall world just outside.