The Waterwise Demonstration Garden - A New Campus Resource

One of the newest gardens on campus is located on Raimundo Way, in the heart of the Faculty/ Staff Housing Area. Serving as a showcase for alternatives to thirsty residential landscapes, the waterwise demonstration garden contains a planting area of several lawn substitutes, a collection of California natives and a "Mediterranean" garden. The garden was designed by Grounds Services Field Supervisor Ted Tucholski and installed by Grounds Services Construction Lead Keith Huffman and staff. Most plant materials were donated by Boething Treeland Farms, San Marcos Growers and Valley Crest Tree Company, while the irrigation system was donated by Rainbird Corporation. The project was sponsored by the Stanford University Utilities Division.

You can see several lawn alternatives at the north corner of the garden. A dense planting of yarrow (Achillea millefolium) becomes a flowery meadow in summer, while the plants themselves stay green year-round. This tough California native can tolerate heat and drought well, though it can't stand up to heavy foot traffic. The low water use turf grass planted in front of the yarrow lawn is eyelash grass (Bouteloua gracilis). Children and adults delight at the flower heads that resemble eyelashes as they appear in summer. Nearby, groundcover manzanita (Arctostaphylos edmundsii 'Carmel Sur') forms a green carpet, though this too is not meant for foot traffic.

Useful as either accent plants or lawn substitutes, ornamental grasses can be viewed en masse at the north end of the yarrow bed. You may recognize deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens) from several campus parking lots, such as the Stockfarm Road lot and the Museum Way parking. One of the toughest and easiest bunchgrasses to grow, deer grass can take either little or much water, full sun or much shade. The large gray bunchgrass nearby is blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens). This plant likes full sun and little water and is also a reliable choice. A third grass, California fescue (Festuca californica) is better suited to dry shady sites, as found in the wild under native oaks.

The Mediterranean Garden is located under two mature Eucalyptus trees and features plants from Australia, New Zealand and the Mediterranean region. Low-growing Australian fuchsia (Correa alba) and New Zealand flax (Phormium 'Jack Spratt') are flanked by a curving row of Australian rosemary (Westringea fruticosa 'Wynyabbie Gem'), which features small light lavender flowers for much of the year. Two groundcovers that can be successfully used under eucalyptus are myoporum (Myoporum parvifolium) and hardenbergia (Hardenbergia violacea). The latter is often trained as a vine up a trellis but is shown here in another form. Grevillea 'Red Hooks' is a fast-growing specimen plant with toothbrush-like red flowers throughout the year.

The California Garden was planted under an existing coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia). These familiar trees are adapted to our climate and can be killed by summer watering, so care must be taken when planting in their vicinity. Several low groundcovers are featured: prostrate black sage (Salvia mellifera 'Terra Seca'), California fuchsia (Zauschneria 'Everett's Choice'), and Carmel Creeper (Ceanothus griseus horizontalis 'Yankee Point'). Another sage, Salvia 'Winifred Gilman', is a mounding shrub to five feet tall, and is covered with bluish purple flowers in late spring. Salvia 'Alan Chickering', planted nearby, is similar. A tough shrub commonly planted on campus as a 3-4 foot green hedge is Howard McMinn manzanita (Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn'.) This plant flowers in February and can take little or much water, heavy soil, and looks best with no pruning. Other featured California natives are California rose (Rosa californica), Island bush snapdragon (Galvezia speciosa), western redbud (Cercis occidentalis) and a new hybrid manzanita, Arctostaphylos 'John Dourley'.

Several trees native to California are planted in the west half of the garden. Western redbud Cercis occidentalis, is a deciduous plant from the Sierra foothills and the coast range further north. In fall, its heart-shaped leaves turn brilliant orange before falling off to reveal its beautiful structure. In spring, the branches are coated with magenta pea-shaped flowers for which it is named. This small tree can be used as a single trunk specimen or as a multi-trunk shrub - both forms are present in the garden. Another large shrub or small tree with pretty spring flowers is Ceanothus 'Ray Hartman', or the Ray Hartman California lilac. The intense blue of its flowers pairs nicely with magenta redbud blooms. California lilac is an evergreen plant with glossy green leaves that produce a resinous odor in summer. It is quite drought-tolerant once established, though this cultivar is also tolerant of some summer water, making it a good choice to add to an existing garden.

The pyramidal conifers that form the western border of the garden are incense cedars (Calocedrus decurrens), native to the mountains of California, southern Oregon, western Nevada and northern Baha California. They are heat and drought-tolerant once established, though they appreciate a deep drink once a month in summer.
The silver-grey cushion at the base of the cedars is Santolina chamaecyparissus, or lavender cotton. This Mediterranean native is planted primarily for its leaf color, though in summer it is covered with tiny yellow buttons of flowers.

All the planting beds are mulched with a layer of wood-chips that serves several functions. The chips suppress weeds, insulate the soil from intense heat, hold moisture in the soil, and break down slowly to release organic matter into the soil. A second kind of wood chip is used along the pathways.

The plants were planted from the smallest container size available, because small plants establish more quickly and often surpass plants from larger containers within a year's time. The rootball of each plant was wrapped in chicken wire to protect it from ground squirrels and gophers.

A water meter is located in the center of the garden, for visitors to monitor water use throughout the year. Each planting bed has a separate irrigation valve and is irrigated with drip irrigation.

Visit the garden regularly to see how the plants change over time and discover plants you might like to use in your garden. Water conservation is becoming increasingly important in California landscapes, and this waterwise demonstration garden is a good source of information to help you lower your landscape water use. For more information about water conservation, visit

Water Conservation at Stanford University

Water Conservation in Student Housing at Stanford University