A garden has been planted near UC Riverside’s westside entrance, providing a new look to the strip of land while creating a more sustainable and bee-friendly environment.

Facilities Services removed grass turf from the 3,200-square-foot area in front of Parking Lot 1, across from Hinderaker Hall, and replaced it with plants, trees, and cobblestone. The turf removal began earlier this year while the new landscape was added in early April.

Mark Jones, campus arborist with Facilities Services, said the project reduces water usage while beautifying the campus. The new garden will require 58% less water than the grass turf, which is about 70,000 gallons saved per year, he said.

The new plants and trees are native to California and create a habitat friendly to pollinators like hummingbirds, honeybees, and bumble bees, he said. They include Engelman Oak trees, Desert Mallow shrubs, California Fuschia, and Concha Wild Lilac.

“It’s just a more inviting place for bees and other pollinators to thrive,” Jones said.

The new garden bolsters UCR’s designation last year as a bee-friendly campus and its participation in the Bee Campus USA program, Jones said. The design has qualified for a pollinator garden certification from the Xerces Society and a wildlife habitat garden certification from the National Wildlife Federation. Signs with those designations will be added to the garden.