Visit
Beautiful Garden.
Hands-On Workshops.
Engaging Exhibits.
Inspiring Waterwise Practices at Home and in Our Community for a Sustainable Future
The Waterwise Community Center is free and open to the public throughout the year. Come and visit our lush Demonstration Garden, which showcases a variety of low-water gardening styles that thrive in Southern California. From California native plants and flowers to the more formal looks of the Mediterranean, we have you covered. With colorful and comfortable furniture scattered throughout, our garden is the perfect place to enjoy nature with the whole family—or even with just a cup of coffee and a good book. Bring Fido—we’re also dog friendly!
Attractions
Waterwise Demonstration Garden
Enjoy many unique climate styles appropriate for gardening in Southern California, including shady oak woodlands, colorful desert blooms, peaceful meadows, formal Mediterranean plantings, native chaparral, pollinator-friendly plants, and a bird and butterfly habitat. Our Demonstration Garden provides our community with the inspiration and information needed to help transition to waterwise and California native landscapes at home.
Kids love looking for the goldfish and mosquito fish in the garden’s pond. California native aquatic plants, such as seep monkey flowers, cattails, rushes, and sedges, grow in the water. Sit on the garden furniture nearby and enjoy the sound of the stream flowing under a bridge and into the pond.
Our Education Courtyard is designed just for kids! It includes a sensory garden with plants that are safe for kids to touch and interact with. Feel the fuzzy lamb’s ears and the rough skin of safe-to-touch succulents.
A xylophone, marimba, and 2 steel drum mushrooms are located around the garden just for your little ones.
Don’t have a lot of space? Learn how to create a container garden to enjoy California native and waterwise plants in any space.
Park
Several oaks grow together to create deep shade, making for a cool space to enjoy on even the hottest day. The California native plant area includes fragrant sage, buckwheat, toyon, and redbud.
A quarter-mile walking track winds around the turf area, through the oak woodlands, and into the California native plant area.
Outdoor exercise equipment is available in the park from sunup to sundown.
Picnic tables are scattered under trees throughout the arboretum areas to provide shade at different times of day.
Lobby
Learn about regional history, California’s water system, and conservation tips, and visit a giant hamburger that demonstrates how much water it takes to grow our food. Find out more about all our programs and resources in the lobby.
Earn your badge!
CBWCD is excited to announce our new Waterwise Workbook for ages 7-12. This workbook is designed to teach students all about groundwater and water conservation through interactive activities that will be completed at the Water Wise Community Center.
Activities Include:
- Scavenger hunt
- Word search
- Coloring pages and more!
Pickup your workbook from the Waterwise Community Center front desk! After it is completed and turned in, we will mail students their very own Waterwise Steward Badge!
CBWCD’s Waterwise Workbook now has a junior version for our little explorers! This workbook is designed to teach young kids ages 3-6 all about nature and water through interactive activities that will be completed at the Waterwise Community Center in Montclair.
Activities Include:
- Scavenger Hunt
- Tracing and Counting
- Coloring pages and more!
Pickup a workbook and toolkit from the Waterwise Community Center front desk! After it is completed, students will receive their very own Waterwise Steward sticker!
Animals
What’s Sam up to today? Our 40-year-old sulcata tortoise has his own habitat filled with an oak tree, a pomegranate tree, and a bright-blue clapboard house. His species can live up to 140 years and grow up to 110 pounds. Sam loves bright colors such as yellow, orange, red, and green, and he moves faster than you’d think!
Mr. Magoo and Dr. Brown, two male California desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) and Myrtle, a female California desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) each enjoy their own habitat in the Colorful Desert section of the garden. The desert tortoise is the California state reptile and is native to the Mojave Desert. This is an excellent opportunity to observe these animals, as they are very hard to spot in the wild.
We love dogs
Please always keep dogs on a leash for their protection and that of other dogs visiting our facility, and please do not allow them in the planted areas.
Explore Water-Conservation Gardening in Southern California
For those looking for inspiration or direction on their waterwise, California native, or drought-tolerant landscape projects, our Demonstration Garden was built with you in mind:
Enjoy Inspiring Garden Designs
Explore our beautiful garden, from California native plants to colorful desert and succulent landscaping. Relax and enjoy—and maybe even find your own style.
Learn Waterwise Tips
Find out how to create a beautiful waterwise garden at home by following our waterwise tips and interactive garden tour.
Find In-Depth Resources
Explore our beautiful garden, from California native plants to colorful desert and succulent landscaping. Relax and enjoy—and maybe even find your own style.
Join us for our workshops
Free workshops on planning, design, planting, and maintenance run year-round. Visit the workshops page to learn more, or sign up for The Drop Newsletter to receive the latest information.
