Public Works Campus Demonstration Garden
Explore a low‑water demonstration garden designed to inspire practical, water‑wise landscaping.
About the Garden
The City of Bend’s Public Works Campus Demonstration Garden is an educational showpiece and public learning space. It shows how smart design and modern technology can help landscapes use less water while still looking great.
The garden features plants that are well suited to Bend’s High Desert climate, along with a variety of landscape materials and design elements. It also includes highly efficient irrigation systems and stormwater features that help manage water on site. Sensors and other technology allow the City to measure how much water each part of the garden uses and make adjustments as needed.
The garden is designed to inspire visitors to try water‑efficient practices at home. It also helps people learn about native and low‑water plants that work well in Central Oregon landscapes.
Why it Matters for Bend
As Bend grows, using water wisely matters more than ever. This garden helps residents see what water‑efficient landscaping can look like—and how small changes at home can make a big difference.
Planting Strategy
Plants in the garden are carefully selected and arranged to use water as efficiently as possible.
- Plants are grouped by water needs, with separate areas for moderate‑, low‑, and very low‑water (xeric) plants.
- Each planting area is irrigated separately, so plants get the right amount of water without waste.
- Trees are watered on their own irrigation zones, allowing the City to control water timing and volume independently from smaller plants below.
Technology
The garden uses smart irrigation technology to water plants efficiently and track water use.
- Smart irrigation controllers allow Water Conservation staff to monitor and adjust watering schedules remotely. The system connects to local weather data and automatically adjusts watering as seasons change.
- Flow sensors measure how much water each irrigation zone uses. If unusually high water flow is detected, the system sends an alert so staff can quickly check for leaks or other issues.
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An on‑site weather station, provided through a partnership with the Bureau of Reclamation, collects data to calculate how much water plants need throughout the year. This information helps the City manage landscape water use more accurately. The data is also available to the public at no cost, supporting water‑wise landscaping across Bend.
Plant Species
These are the species planted in the Demonstration Garden.
Low Water Use
| Common Name | Botanical Name | Plant Type |
|---|---|---|
| Russian hawthorn | Crataegus ambigua | Tree |
| Arctic Fire dogwood | Cornus sericea ‘Farrow Arctic Fire’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Beyond Blue fescue | Festuca glauca ‘Beyond Blue’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Blonde Ambition blue grama grass | Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Dwarf mugo pine | Pinus mugo ‘Pumilio’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Dwarf fountain grass | Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Feather reed grass | Calamagrostis × acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ | Grass/Shrub |
| First Choice blue mist spirea | Caryopteris × clandonensis ‘First Choice’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Gro‑Low sumac | Rhus aromatica ‘Gro‑Low’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Happy Returns daylily | Hemerocallis sempervirens | Grass/Shrub |
| Leprechaun southernwood | Artemisia abrotanum ‘Leprechaun’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Pink Beauty potentilla | Potentilla fruticosa ‘Pink Beauty’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Purple coneflower | Echinacea purpurea | Grass/Shrub |
| Russian sage | Perovskia atriplicifolia | Grass/Shrub |
| Tango hummingbird mint | Agastache aurantiaca ‘Tango’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Walker’s Low catmint | Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Candytuft | Iberis sempervirens | Groundcover |
| Partridge feather | Tanacetum densum ‘Amani’ | Groundcover |
| Snow‑in‑summer | Cerastium tomentosum | Groundcover |
| Snowmass phlox | Phlox bifida ‘Snowmass’ | Groundcover |
Very Low Water Use (Xeric)
| Common Name | Botanical Name | Plant Type |
|---|---|---|
| Serviceberry (multi-trunk) | Amelanchier ‘Autumn Brilliance’ | Tree |
| Big sagebrush | Artemisia tridentata | Grass/Shrub |
| Black-eyed Susan | Rudbeckia hirta | Grass/Shrub |
| Blue flax | Linum lewisii | Grass/Shrub |
| Common yarrow | Achillea millefolium | Grass/Shrub |
| Desert sweet | Chamaebatiaria millefolium | Grass/Shrub |
| Green rabbitbrush | Chrysothamnus nauseosus | Grass/Shrub |
| Greenleaf manzanita | Arctostaphylos patula | Grass/Shrub |
| Oregon iris | Iris tenax | Grass/Shrub |
| Oregon sunshine | Eriophyllum lanatum | Grass/Shrub |
| Pineleaf penstemon | Penstemon pinifolius | Grass/Shrub |
| Soapweed yucca | Yucca glauca | Grass/Shrub |
| Sulfur buckwheat | Eriogonum umbellatum | Grass/Shrub |
| Torch lily | Kniphofia uvaria | Grass/Shrub |
| Bottlebrush squirreltail | Elymus elymoides | Groundcover |
| Hardy iceplant | Delosperma cooperi ‘Desert Ruby’ | Groundcover |
| Idaho fescue | Festuca idahoensis | Groundcover |
| Kinnikinnick | Arctostaphylos uva-ursi | Groundcover |
| Mountain Atlas daisy | Anacyclus depressus | Groundcover |
| Pink pussytoes | Antennaria neglecta | Groundcover |
| Woolly thyme | Thymus pseudolanuginosus | Groundcover |
Moderate Water Use
| Common Name | Botanical Name | Plant Type |
|---|---|---|
| Flame maple (multi-trunk) | Acer ginnala | Tree |
| Montgomery spruce | Picea pungens ‘Montgomery’ | Tree |
| Quaking aspen | Populus tremuloides | Tree |
| Arctic Fire dogwood | Cornus sericea ‘Farrow Arctic Fire’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Black lace elderberry | Sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Black mondo grass | Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Blue oat grass | Helictotrichon sempervirens | Grass/Shrub |
| Chinese silver grass | Miscanthus sinensis | Grass/Shrub |
| Compact burning bush | Euonymus alatus ‘Compactus’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Goldflame spirea | Spiraea japonica ‘Goldflame’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Legend of the Fall fothergilla | Fothergilla ‘Legend of the Fall’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Limemound spirea | Spiraea japonica ‘Limemound’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Miss Kim lilac | Syringa pubescens ssp. patula ‘Miss Kim’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Mock orange | Philadelphus lewisii | Grass/Shrub |
| Ornamental onion | Allium ‘Millenium’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Quickfire hydrangea | Hydrangea paniculata ‘Quickfire’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Tufted hairgrass | Deschampsia cespitosa | Grass/Shrub |
| Western columbine | Aquilegia formosa | Grass/Shrub |
| Dwarf cranberry bush | Viburnum trilobum ‘Compactum’ | Grass/Shrub |
| Autumn moor grass | Sesleria autumnalis | Groundcover |
| Rozanne geranium | Geranium × ‘Rozanne’ | Groundcover |
| Sweet woodruff | Galium odoratum | Groundcover |
