The transformation of a Fletcher Hills front yard in El Cajon showcases what a drive for sustainability and some family effort can create. The effort by homeowners Sinead and Lance G.  is this year’s winner of the Helix Water District 2025 WaterSmart Landscape Contest.

The annual contest celebrates residents who demonstrate outstanding water-efficient landscaping through design, plant selection, irrigation, and maintenance.

This award winning landscape features natives like Cleveland Sage, Desert Mallow, Ceanothus Concha Lilac, White Sage, and Milkweed. Photo: Helix Water District

When Sinead and Lance moved in, their home had a struggling front lawn with a dying pine tree. The couple replaced over 1,200 square feet of lawn with a water-smart, eco-friendly design that boosts curb appeal.

“Our motivation was centered around doing our part to support the local ecosystem: bees, birds, butterflies, moths, and plants with adaptations to survive on low water,” said Sinead.

Trading Grass For A Flourishing Garden

Every detail of the yard’s design was thoughtfully hand-crafted. Sinead sketched out a plan that included two river rock gardens and carefully chose planting areas. Photo: Helix Water District

The couple purchased their home in 2020 and, with the help of family, spent over a year clearing Bermuda grass to make way for a flourishing garden. “First, my dad, husband, and I worked together on weekends to dig out the crab grass at least five inches,” she said.

After removing the grass, they used cardboard and black plastic tarp to smother the remaining roots, a labor-intensive process that took six months to dig out and another year to solarize.

Once the area was prepped, they hired a local gardener to level the yard, and then Sinead and her husband covered the soil with cardboard and weed cloth before planting. “To my surprise, when we started planting, we observed a substantial number of worms in the ground, which is typically a sign of healthy soil.”

Hand-Crafted Garden With Native Plants

Sinead’s mother, who is a talented gardener, helped lay out the plan including the dry river bed. Photo: Helix Water District

Every detail of the yard’s design was thoughtfully hand-crafted. Sinead sketched out a plan that included two river rock gardens and carefully chose planting areas. “My mom is a talented gardener, so she helped me design the shape of the walkway and plant placement,” she shared. Her favorite addition was a Desert Museum Palo Verde tree, carefully positioned after consulting DigAlert, a free utility marking service.

The plant palette includes many native favorites like Cleveland Sage, Desert Mallow, Ceanothus Concha
Lilac, White Sage, Milkweed and many others. The variety of plants offers vibrant blooms and plenty of
habitat for local species.

“A WaterSmart landscape allows us to serve nature. After all, our home was built on local wildlife land. The least we can do is share our little plot of land to offer native animals and plants a place to grow, eat, and find shelter.”

Relying on Natural Rainfall

The new landscape features many native plants attractive to pollinators like butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. Photo: Helix Water District

For simplicity and preference, Sinead opted not to install irrigation and instead waters her garden by hand. “This has worked out well; the plants get water, and I get to spend time outdoors admiring blooms and critters.” The couple also created two rain gardens using rocks to capture and reuse rainwater, keeping the water on the property and maximizing a free resource.

Now that it’s established, their landscape needs very little watering, just once every two weeks in summer, a bit more before a Santa Ana wind, and nothing extra during the cooler months when rainfall is enough. The result is a thriving, diverse, and low-maintenance landscape, created with care, purpose, and a deep love for nature.

Photos of Sinead and her family’s garden will be showcased at landscapecontest.com, alongside other
regional winners and on Helix Water District’s website.

The WaterSmart Landscape Contest runs from January through mid-May each year. To learn more, visit the “Enter A Contest” page on the Helix Water District website.