27-Tipton Duvivier Garden

Our goal was to develop a watershed approach to managing water on a site with a single-family home, a dilapidated 100-year-old structure transformed into one of the top 10 green homes in California. One hundred percent of storm water is collected on site, either in cisterns to be used later or in swales to allow for infiltration. All water systems are visually prominent to provide opportunities for discussion and learning. Opportunities for experimenting with eco-concepts such as greywater application, 95 percent native plants, collection cisterns for irrigation, and habitat creation in a dense neighborhood were welcomed to our garden.