The Design
To support the ideas of sustainable design, the Waterwise Garden focuses on water consumption. It demonstrates how, through meticulous design and careful attention to plant selection, a beautiful, functional, and environmentally stable landscape can be achieved.
The students’ design included a patio area that can be used during events in Ensminger, a dry stream bed ending in a rain garden, extensive use of drought-tolerant plants, and additional water-conserving features. Recycled broken concrete, or urbanite, from various projects on the Pullman campus was re-purposed to walls and paths. Wooden benches, formerly located in the Information Technology building atrium, were retrofitted to use for patio seating. Students focused their efforts on developing a design that would maximize the collection of natural rainfall on the site. Existing trees were incorporated into the garden design.
A Green Roof
The Waterwise Garden houses a green roof garden pavilion that is used as a garden storage area. The green roof also is a valuable teaching tool. It allows for a “hands-on” display of how green roofs can reduce energy consumption, aid in stormwater management, promote biodiversity, and still be aesthetically pleasing. The roof is planted with a mixture of drought tolerant, cold hardy succulent plants. The garden pavilion is partially constructed from reclaimed materials.
Students Plant Waterwise Garden
