Cuyamaca Water Conservation Garden: *Design Contest Winner* in El Cajon

I was taking a workshop at Cuyamaca Water Conservation Garden on Water Harvesting back around August 2019 and mentioned to the coordinator there that I was a landscape designer open to connecting with new clients. She told me about a new educational building being built and a contest among four other landscape designers to design the landscape in front of it, and I was welcome to join.

I joined the contest, they liked the preliminary concepts I presented, and I was awarded the contract. The conceptual theme 'Impressions' came to me, interesting because of its multiple meanings, inspiring one to ponder both their impressions on nature and nature's impressions on oneself. I was also fascinated with how patterns of the universe are reflected in humans (nerve patterns like roots and branches, circular planets mirroring our eyes, our fingerprint spiral matching our spiraling galaxy), which was integrated into the design.

Main ideas included a flagstone entry fanning out from the new double doors (representing sun rays radiating energy), with purple and gold groundcover between the stones and educational facts about water conservation etched onto the stones; curvilinear arcing lines separating gold and blue-gray crushed stone areas that function as drainage swales; a new overhead pergola; seating areas; and interesting new plant species. The design went through several renditions coordinated with the managing representatives at the garden.