San Gabriel River Center and Demonstration Gardens

A Historic Farmhouse Reimagined as a Living Classroom for Water Resilience

Working with the Watershed Conservation Authority and in collaboration with Page & Turnbull, SALT provided full-service landscape architecture and irrigation design for the center's 2+ acre demonstration gardens.

The design pairs historic preservation with contemporary water strategy. Original features, including the property's fountain structure, were preserved and thoughtfully repurposed, anchoring new outdoor learning spaces in the site's agricultural past. Culinary gardens, native and water-wise plantings, and spaces for local art and cultural programming extend the farmhouse's legacy into a resource for visitors and school groups alike.

Waterwise Landscaping and Habitat for Polinators

At its core, the project is a working demonstration of what a residential landscape can be. Rain gardens, bioswales, and cisterns are presented alongside a palette of native trees and shrubs, offering visitors a clear, replicable model for retrofitting high-water-use yards into landscapes that capture, conserve, and celebrate water. Strategies scale across budgets, making the gardens as instructive for a backyard as for a public park.

SALT collaborated with Carol Bornstein, a Southern California horticulturist and native plant expert who has long championed the beauty and ecological value of California native plants. Together, we created dynamic, ecologically appropriate plant palettes, creating habitat for pollinators visitors can see up close.