Garden Guide

Demonstration Gardens

Demonstration gardens are generally small gardens intended to demonstrate some beneficial aspect of gardening, such as landscaping with native plants, water capturing techniques, growing food or drought tolerance

A demonstration garden is a designed landscape meant to illustrate a concept or group of concepts in garden design. Other names for “demonstration gardens” are “teaching gardens” or “learning landscapes.”

The purpose of a demonstration garden is to present an example of how common problems are solved with garden design, horticulture or landscaping.

Demonstration gardens come in all sizes, large and small. Some take up multiple acres within larger botanical parks, such as Crescent Farm in the Los Angeles County Arboretum. Others are small parkways at the side of the road.

Map & directory

Demonstration gardens to visit

30 of 30 places

SearchLocalityPlace typeCity

Places

30 shown

Demonstration Garden · Santa Monica

Airport Avenue Demonstration Gardens

Not one, but three demonstration gardens are arranged side by side at Santa Monica Airport, just across the street from the soccer fields at Airport Park. They use a mix of California native plants and other drought-tolerant plants while demonstrating three garden functions: Play, Relax, and Entertain. The City of Santa Monica created the Airport Avenue gardens as part of its environmental and sustainability work. The gardens are located across from the park and directly next to The Cloverfield.

Demonstration garden · Native plant garden · Park or open space

Airport Avenue Demonstration Gardens in Santa Monica

Not one, but three demonstration gardens arranged side-by-side at Santa Monica airport, just across the street from the soccer fields at Airport Park. They use a mix of California native plants and other drought-tolerant plants while demonstrating garden functions: Play, Relax, and Entertain. Santa Monica also maintains an informative website with a description of the project, maps and plant lists.

Demonstration garden · Native plant garden · Altadena

Aldadena Library Demonstration Garden, Bob Lucas Branch

The Bob Lucas branch library in Altadena relandscaped in 2020 to feature a bioswale, hugelkultur, and native plants.

Demonstration Garden · Public Park · Pasadena

Arlington Garden

Arlington Garden is a lot of things, depending on which “room” you are standing in. It first caught my interest as a native demonstration garden. On my first time visiting, matilija poppies were blooming, as were the wildflowers. Returning in mid-summer, these features were no longer in bloom, but the garden was still full of many delights all the same.

Sign for California Native Plant Demonstration Garden at Balboa Park

Demonstration Garden · San Diego

Balboa Park Native Plant Demonstration Garden

Balboa Park hosts a small California Native Plant Demonstration Garden in Morley Field, adjacent to the tennis courts and a dog park. The garden features many plants native to San Diego and other parts of Southern California that are suitable for home landscaping. There is not a large amount of land dedicated to the garden, but it packs in many plants, a couple of bioswales, and a good pathway. A protected natural area is nearby.

Library Garden · Demonstration Garden · Library

Bob Lucas Branch Library Demonstration Garden

The Bob Lucas Memorial Library and Literacy Center uses much of its street frontage as a demonstration landscape rather than conventional lawn. The planting combines young trees, shrubs, grasses, flowering perennials, and labeled specimens around the entrance paths and seating areas. A mature shade tree anchors the space while the newer planting develops around it. The result is a small but visible example of how a public building can incorporate native and water-conscious landscaping into an everyday neighborhood setting.

Cal American Water Water-Wise Landscaping

Demonstration Garden · Rosemead

California American Water Los Angeles Conservation Garden

California American Water maintains this conservation garden at its Los Angeles office in Rosemead. The landscape demonstrates how drought-tolerant and California native plants can replace more water-intensive conventional landscaping.

Demonstration Garden · Pasadena

Community Demonstration Garden at Sheldon Reservoir

Began in August 2019, this demonstration garden is a community project on a parkway bordering the Sheldon Reservoir. It features a large Hügelkultur, native plants, a Mediterranean plant section and a fire-wise planting demonstration.

Demonstration Garden · Library Garden · Municipal Garden

Glendora Demonstration Garden

The demonstration garden beside Glendora Public Library says something about Glendora. It is small, but it occupies meaningful space in the center of the city’s public life, surrounded by the library, City Hall, the police headquarters, the Armed Forces Memorial, and the civic plaza. Municipal demonstration gardens usually have to carry several messages at once. They are meant to teach, but they also have to offer choices: native plants, shade planting, habitat, lawn alternatives, groundcovers, irrigation ideas, drought-tolerant ornamentals, and a place to sit. Glendora compresses those ideas into a compact landscape that people actually pass through and use. A low mass of silvery foliage demonstrates how drought-tolerant groundcover can soften the edge of a civic walkway.

Nature Center · Demonstration Garden · Torrance

Madrona Marsh Nature Center

A native plant demonstration garden encircles the visitor center of the Madrona Marsh preserve. Madrona Marsh is 43 acres of marshland left undeveloped after land intended for oil drilling was never used for that purpose. It is now an important bird preserve and habitat associated with the rare Palos Verdes blue butterfly.

Demonstration Garden · Manhattan Beach

Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden

A 2/3 acre botanical garden inside Polliwog Park in Manhattan Beach. A demonstration garden exhibiting drought-tolerant plants, mostly local California natives, and a certified nature habitat. Free admission. Construction started in 1994, formed a nonprofit organization in 1997, opened on Earth Day, 2001.

Community Garden · Demonstration Garden · Monrovia

Monrovia Community Garden

A community garden demonstrating growing your own produce in beautiful raised beds. A great spot to check out if walking or driving by. They also collect food waste for compost and do occasional workshops.

Demonstration Garden · Monrovia

Monrovia Native Plant Demonstration Garden

Located just before Monrovia’s Old Town from the south, Grow Monrovia’s Demonstration Garden features a hugelkultur, bioswale, and native plants. It demonstrates how common commercial parkways can utilize native plants to achieve an inviting space.

Demonstration Garden · Public Park · Monterey Park

Monterey Park Demonstration Garden

This demonstration garden was created by the City of Monterey Park to demonstrate multiple different styles of landscaping that are drought tolerant. It has signs to explain each section of the park. It also features two bioswales. It was inaugurated June 2, 2017.

Demonstration garden · Native plant garden · Rosemead

Rosemead Chamber of Commerce

California American Water’s demonstration garden outside of their location in Rosemead, CA. Their garden uses a mix of cacti, succulents, and California native plants to demonstrate water tolerant landscaping.

Demonstration Garden · Rosemead

Rosemead Chamber of Commerce Water-Wise Garden

Demonstration Garden · San Diego

San Diego’s Old Town Native Demonstration Garden

The inclusion of a native demonstration garden near the entrance begins to correct those issues. The landscaping around the shops and restaurants is purely succulents and exotics, but at least now there is a vibrant homage to the original, natural landscaping that once occupied that land.

Demonstration garden · Park or open space · Newbury Park

Cal American Water Demonstration Garden

Demonstration garden · Rosemead

California American Water Los Angeles Demonstration Garden in Rosemead

Demonstration garden · Park or open space · Montclair

Chino Basin Water Conservation District Wilderness Park

A large demonstration garden with walking trail encircling 39 types of trees that were selected for low water use, minimal maintenance, popular beauty, and adaptability to local residential landscapes.

Demonstration garden

City of Ojai Demonstration Garden

Demonstration garden · Park or open space · Nursery

Commonwealth Nursery Demonstration Garden in Griffith Park

Demonstration garden · La Crescenta-Montrose

Crescenta Valley Water District Demonstration Garden

Demonstration garden · Lake Forest

El Toro Water District Demonstration Garden

Demonstration garden · Glendale

Glendale Demonstration Garden

Built by Glendale Water & Power at the Glendale Central Library to demonstrate water-tolerant landscaping.