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.
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Overview
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.
The place
Pasadena Water and Power, community volunteers and partners began transforming the landscape at Sheldon Reservoir in 2019. The area serves as an educational and inspirational garden where the community can walk, learn about plant species and get landscaping design ideas.
The site is part of the Arroyo Seco, one of Pasadena’s oldest and most important historic places.
What to see
The legacy garden record identifies a large Hügelkultur bed, native plants, a Mediterranean plant section and a fire-wise planting demonstration.
The official project information also describes sheet mulching, drip irrigation and decomposed-granite paving as techniques demonstrated at the site.
Native plants
The legacy record identifies native plants as one of the garden’s main sections, alongside Mediterranean and fire-wise plantings.
Garden design
The project demonstrates sheet mulching, drip irrigation, Hügelkultur and permeable decomposed-granite paving.
Hügelkultur uses logs and branches topped with compost, soil and other natural materials to form a raised planting mound. Decomposed granite provides a permeable walking surface that allows rainwater to enter the soil beneath it.
This is an exceptionally large hugelkultur at Sheldon Reservoir Demonstration Garden. Hugelkulturs are a method of burying wood sticks and logs that help capture and retain water, as well as providing a slow-release fertilizer for up to twenty years as the wood slowly breaks down.
Home garden takeaways
The garden presents several techniques intended for use in home landscapes: sheet mulching, drip irrigation, Hügelkultur and permeable decomposed-granite paving.
