New Ocean Friendly Garden in Manhattan Beach

The public is invited to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday to commemorate the completion of the Ocean Friendly Garden project sponsored by West Basin. The garden is at The Strand and Manhattan Beach Blvd. near the pier in Manhattan Beach. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m.

The  waterwise, ocean friendly demonstration garden and an adjacent water-filling station to reduce water bottle littering on the beach have been constructed by the West Basin Municipal Water District and the City of Manhattan Beach, according to officials. The garden is intended to be exemplify a sustainable and beautiful landscape. Notably, projections are that the garden will save the city approximately 80 percent of water use.

The demonstration garden models a sustainable garden, showcasing the alternatives to standard turf and high-water-use landscaping. 

“Visitors to the Strand will be able to witness ocean friendly garden principles in action and be empowered to implement them in their own yards," said Manhattan Beach Mayor Pro Tem Amy Howorth said, who will deliver opening remarks along with West Basin's Carol Kwan. "This garden provides practical steps on how to save maintenance time, money, and provide for local, reliable water resources for the future.”

The Surfrider Foundation helped spearhead strategies used in the garden to protect the ocean. Conservation, Permeability and Retention (CPR) are the three main principles guiding the design of ocean friendly gardens.

According to West Basin, the garden has been designed to promote:

• Conservation of water, energy and habitat through native plants and climate adapted plants, spaced for mature growth
• Permeability through mulch and biologically active soil
• Retention of water through a down spout that was redirected to funnel rain water to the soil for the dry season, preventing it from running off of the property.

The demonstration garden was funded through a Proposition 50 grant from the California Department of Water Resources with other funding contributions from the City of Manhattan Beach, West Basin Municipal Water District, Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden and the Metropolitan Water District, according to a West Basin press release.