Education & Training
The SLP partners offer a variety of education and training opportunities for homeowners and professionals. These range from 3-hour introductory workshops to a comprehensive four-class series. All training opportunities align with our Sustainable Landscape Guidelines.
Homeowner Education
The Sustainable Landscaping Demonstration Garden
The demonstration garden located at the San Diego County Water Authority’s main office is a great place to visit for inspiration during your planning phase. Here you’ll see a carefully planned and executed sustainable landscape plan – soil preparation, plants, water collection and water-wise irrigation are all in place to create a harmonious and attractive design.
WaterSmart Classes
The award-winning WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Series is a four-class series designed to help homeowners convert turf areas into low-water-use gardens that love San Diego’s climate. Industry professionals provide personalized instruction and coaching specific to your yard. Educate and empower yourself to develop an actionablelandscape makeover plan, and add beauty, functionality and “curb appeal” to your home.
The Landscape Design for Homeowners Workshop is a three-hour version of the makeover series for those who cannot attend all four classes in the full series. This workshop is designed to assist homeowners’ turf conversion efforts to create a garden that is water efficient and lifestyle-friendly.
WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Videos On Demand
This series of videos will take you step-by-step through the process of creating your very own beautiful, water-efficient landscape. From measuring your property to getting to know your soil to picking the right plants for the right place, these entertaining and informative videos will guide you along the path to a WaterSmart landscape.
Professional Training
Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL)
The Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper program is an affordable, local training providing landscape professionals with 20 hours of education on principles of proper plant selection for the local climate, irrigation system design and maintenance, and irrigation system programming and operation. QWEL was developed by the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership and brought to San Diego by the San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies. In order to obtain the QWEL certification, an individual must demonstrate their ability to perform an irrigation system audit and pass the QWEL exam.