It's been raining so turn your sprinklers off and fill up your rain barrels!

For more information on programming your sprinkler timer click here

For more information on Rain Barrels and our Rain Harvest Rebate Program click here 

Announcing a New Demonstration Garden Design Contest!

The City of Santa Monica is holding a sustainable landscape design contest for our next three demonstration gardens at 3200 Airport Avenue. These landscape designs must be simple to recreate, yet sustainable water-efficient garden design templates. Participating designers are encouraged to base their layouts on local neighborhood communities in Santa Monica, i.e., Ocean Park, Sunset, North of Montana, and incorporate outdoor living room features, elements from Mediterranean and shade gardens, climate appropriate plants, as well as permeable paving options. Recommendations for scaling up or down the garden design template to match appropriate neighborhood lot sizes should also be included.

Local landscape design professionals can submit 1 or up to 3 designs with a completed application form to the Office of Sustainability and the Environment beginning Feb 1st. The last day for design submittal is March 15th, 2010. A panel of judges, as well as the community, will then vote on these designs to determine which three are built. Winners will be announced on April 30th, 2010.   

Demonstration Garden Contest Application 

Sustainable Landscaping

The City of Santa Monica is committed to helping you create that inviting landscape, full of beautiful, California friendly plants that thrive with little water or maintenance. By choosing a more sustainable landscape, you can enhance your property's value and reduce unneeded consumption of precious resources like water. Improving your irrigation system and choosing climate appropriate plant materials are the first steps to creating the dream landscape you’ve always wanted. And we can help make it a reality!  

How can we help you? 

We can help you transform your traditional landscape into one that fits nicely into our Mediterranean climate and we are giving you money to do it! Sounds too good to be true, but The Sustainable Landscape Grant Program is no joke. Now you can get money for doing what comes natural anyway. Individuals, property owners, businesses, non-governmental organizations and public agencies who are water customers in Santa Monica may apply.  Sign-up today!

I can save 40 gallons a day

The average home in Santa Monica uses about 200 gallons of water each day to water their garden.  Making a few small changes , like installing rotary nozzles, can save you money and water.  Check this out  and pass along to your gardener too! And there are rebates too!