Salt Lake City— Red Butte Garden announced today that Studio Outside Landscape Architects of Dallas, TX, was recognized by the Texas chapter of the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) with an excellence award for its work on the Water Conservation Garden. In the award application, Studio Outside noted, “The Water Conservation Garden at Red Butte Garden on the University of Utah’s campus celebrates the beauty of the desert and high plains ecoregions while educating the public on water conservation native and adaptable plants, and hardscape materials indigenous to the area.” 

Waterwise practices are becoming more widespread in desert-based communities where consumers are encouraged to adopt conservation practices. But such actions don’t need to come at the expense of design and innovation. When considering the Water Conservation Garden, the Texas ALCA jury noted, “Slopes and topography are challenging. This design creates multiple interesting and engaging ways to navigate the site. Waterwise thinking and design are highly relevant for our profession.” 

Dedicated in 2017, the Water Conservation Garden is the newest themed garden in Red Butte Garden. It spans three acres and consists of garden terraces, overlooks, and waysides that give guests an opportunity to experience the beauty of waterwise landscapes as well as scenic views of Salt Lake Valley, the Wasatch Mountain range and foothills that border the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. 

“We’ve long known that waterwise practices are vital to desert communities like Salt Lake City. Having a lush, diverse landscape that illustrates how simple it is to be a waterwise gardener is an important step to persuading more people to adapt their personal green spaces,” said Red Butte Garden executive director Jimmy Turner. Turner encourages the public to make a trip to Red Butte Garden to see for themselves how beautiful and varied waterwise gardens can be. 

About Red Butte Garden 

Red Butte Garden is the largest botanical garden in the Intermountain West and together with the University of Utah, is a state arboretum. The Garden has welcomed guests since 1985 and currently boasts over 21 acres of developed gardens and five miles of hiking trails winding through an extensive natural area. The Garden is renowned for its numerous plant collections, display gardens, world-class Outdoor Concert Series, and award-winning horticulture-based educational programs. For more information, visit www.redbuttegarden.org.