El Cajon, CA – As the hot summer season winds down, now is the time for San Diego County residents to start thinking about the fall planting season. This year’s California-Friendly Gardening Festival will give homeowners the opportunity to see how they can make beautiful improvements to their yard while saving water and money at the same time! The Water Conservation Garden will showcase its beautiful drought-tolerant plants and displays at the California-Friendly Gardening Festival on Saturday, October 8, 2005 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at 12122 Cuyamaca College Drive West in El Cajon. The event is free and open to the public.

Several professional landscapers will be featured in an expert lecture series at the California-Friendly “Hall of Learning”. Designers include Kay Stewart, Greg Rubin and Jan Tubiolo. Their specialties range from fire-wise landscaping to native plants to water-wise landscape design. Homeowners are encouraged to bring photos and diagrams of their yards to get a free 15-minute one-on-one review with a designer. In addition to
these designers and others, Dan Carney, a landscape architect and irrigation expert, will give 20-minute lectures throughout the day.

There will be several giveaways at this year’s event. The first 100 attendees will receive a deck of the Garden’s beautiful flowering plant playing cards, complete with color photos and horticultural information. Attendees can also enter an opportunity drawing for a garden makeover—a re-design of the winner’s home landscape.

Several varieties of low-water-use plants from local nurseries will be on sale. Vendors will also be on hand featuring the latest water-efficient irrigation technology. Homeowners are encouraged to learn how a weather-based irrigation controller can take the hassle out of programming their sprinkler timer and save a lot of water at the same time!

Children are invited to participate in a Garden scavenger hunt, plant low-water-use plants from seeds and take part in a Great Pumpkin Walk. In The Garden’s amphitheater, Dr. Wilderness will delight visitors with his “SPLASHTASTIC” Magic Show. The event will provide entertainment for the whole family!Garden members will receive discounts in the gift shop. New members or those who renew a membership will receive a free deck of the Garden’s flowering plant playing cards, or the new garden t-shirt for just $5.

The festival will highlight the award-winning 4.3-acre garden and its message of low-water-use landscaping to those who are turning their minds toward gardening and those who would simply love to visit a beautiful garden in the fall. For more information, visit the Garden online at http://www.thegarden.org or call 619.660.0614. The 2005 California-Friendly Gardening Festival is sponsored by: Rain Bird Irrigation, Hunter Industries, and Bank of America.

The Water Conservation Garden is a 4.2-acre water-conservation demonstration garden run under the auspices of a joint powers authority. Its member agencies are the San Diego County Water Authority, Otay Water District, Helix Water District, Padre Dam Water District, the City of San Diego, and the Grossmont-Cuyamaca College District. The Garden receives supported through its member agencies, memberships, donations, grants, facility rentals and gift shop sales. The Garden is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is signage for self-guided tours. Evening and weekend tours, classes, and events are available to visitors. Directions to the Garden are listed below. Call (619) 660-0614 for further information and visit the web site at www.thegarden.org.

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Directions to the Garden: The Water Conservation Garden is located at 12122 Cuyamaca College Drive West in El Cajon, where Jamacha Rd. (not Jamacha Blvd.) and Hwy 94 meet. From Hwy 15 or Hwy 805, merge onto Hwy 94 East to Cuyamaca College Drive West. From Hwy 8 take the 2 nd St. off ramp in El Cajon, which turns into Jamacha Rd and then turn onto Cuyamaca College Drive West. For Information about the garden, including detailed directions and a map, go to: www.thegarden.org.