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Eco Gardener Program

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Discover the beauty of sustainable gardening with WRD’s Lillian Kawasaki Eco Gardener Program! Since 2006, WRD has partnered with cities and nonprofits throughout the 43-city service area to provide FREE workshops that educate and inspire. Whether you're interested in drought-tolerant plants, rainwater capture, edible gardening, or irrigation basics, our interactive workshops have you covered.

JOIN US at local community centers or virtually, where expert instructors lead engaging presentations, followed by hands-on garden walkthroughs and demonstrations. Available in English and Spanish, these workshops offer practical tips to create your water-efficient oasis while connecting with neighbors and nurturing a thriving ecosystem. Click below for a full list of workshops near you!

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IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS - Workshops are hosted by community partners throughout our service area. Workshops include a PowerPoint presentation delivered by a knowledgeable landscape professional, followed by a garden walkthrough where available, or a hands-on demonstration.

VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS - Join our virtual workshops from the comfort of your home via Zoom! Led by expert instructors, these live sessions offer the perfect opportunity to ask all your gardening questions and receive personalized advice.

Eco Gardener Class Descriptions (Click to View) 

 

A landscaped garden with palm trees, shrubs, mulch, and a white stucco building with red tiles in golden sunlight.

Watershed Wise Landscaping Basics
This class is the foundation for designing a garden that uses the principles of gorgeous and watershed-wise landscaping: building a healthy living soil sponge, holding rainwater on the property, selecting local native plants that minimize water use and maximize biodiversity, and managing the irrigation.

A vibrant garden with large green pots, diverse plants, and a blue garage door.

Drought-Tolerant Gardens
Learn how to identify critical steps for successfully designing a drought tolerant landscape. Topics include developing a palette of climate-appropriate plants with a focus on California natives, applying key design principles, and laying out a successful planting plan.

Tranquil garden patio with plants, wooden pergola, and a bistro table set.

Small Space Gardening 
Be it a small yard, patio, or even containers, discover the many opportunities to create inviting gardens. Learn about design tips around container and plant selection, hardscaping opportunities, and creating garden rooms in limited outdoor spaces.

Rain-soaked garden with standing water, lush plants, residential backdrop.

Rainwater Capture
It’s not about how much rain falls from the sky, but how much rain your landscape can hold on to. This workshop focuses on nature-based solutions for passive and active capture of rainwater in your landscape. Discussion includes considerations in selecting a site-appropriate rainwater capture method, designing swales and berms, and directing water into and out of rain gardens.

A variety of fresh vegetables in a wooden crate on soil.

Edible Gardening
As food prices increase and the nutritional value of vegetables decreases, creating your own successful edible garden is more valuable than ever. Topics include growing vegetables and herbs in planters, optimizing soil health for maximum benefits, successfully irrigating edibles, and planning for all year-round plantings.

Two people gardening, planting a tree, with others and canopy in the background.

Landscape Transformation on a Budget
For many, removing turf and replacing it with a Watershed Wise landscape is overwhelming and cost prohibitive. This workshop helps attendees understand the expenses, prioritize the choices, and determine how to minimize costs. Learn when to invest in a landscape professional and when to get creative with materials and techniques.

A residential garden with various plants overlaid with the red text "BUSTED."

Gardening Myth Busters
With so much information available, it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. This class covers common landscape misconceptions that may surprise you. We’ll discuss what plants really need to thrive, the benefits of working with natural systems, and lots of myths about irrigation.

Cucumber plant with yellow flower near drip irrigation hose on soil.

Irrigation Fundamentals
These days we can’t afford to waste a single drop of water. This class teaches you how to make the most of your irrigation system. Topics include understanding the role of soil in optimizing irrigation, the nuts and bolts of how an irrigation system works, and converting to more efficient irrigation systems.

A charming house with a lush front garden, including greenery and blooms, and a wooden front door.

Revitalize Your Traditional Garden
With so much focus on removing turf and installing new Watershed Wise gardens, what about helping our ‘traditional’ gardens thrive? In this workshop we’ll cover how to maintain traditional ornamental plants such as roses, boxwood, and camellias by building healthy soil, managing irrigation, and protecting vital trees and shrubs in times of drought.

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Partner with WRD?

We collaborate with cities throughout our service area! Are you an elected official or city staff interested in hosting an Eco Gardener Workshop for your community? Or perhaps a community-based organization? Please reach out to Ally at ahernandez@wrd.org for more information.

Host Venue Request Form