Ventura River County Water District Garden, Ojai

Description

Boy Scouts from Troop 503 transformed the landscaping in front of the office from basic, flat, rock and gravel to a contoured, climate-appropriate, colorful garden. The scouts added a contoured stream-bed to capture rain water from the roof and paved surfaces, colorful plants and a brick, permeable walkway. The emphasis of the plant selection for the garden was to provide color year-round. Plants were selected for their bloom cycle and duration as well as adaptability to the environment. A bird bath was carved into a large rock located adjacent to the stream bed. The landscaping is watered using a subsurface drip system run by a hose timer. Planting included full sun, part shade and under California live oak trees.
The goal of the project was to present an attractive garden using low-water use plants, to promote easy to use irrigation controllers and to demonstrate techniques for water conservation and retention in landscaping. The project was built by volunteers from Boy Scout Troop 503 in Oak View.
We got mulch from Ojai Valley Organics and Crane Tree Service, sand from Greg Rents in Oak View, plants from Nopalito Native Plant Nursery in Ventura and Flora Gardens Nursery in Ojai.