Moody Garden reopens in Yuma County after water disruption

The Moody Garden at the Yuma County Cooperative Extension reopened after a short closure that cut off irrigation during infrastructure work. Staff members and volunteers were still adjusting drip lines and emitters at 2200 W. 28th Street as summer heat moved in, after the water disruption caused the loss of several plants.

The reopening carries weight in Yuma, where water use and landscape survival are constant concerns. The City of Yuma says about 70% of residential water use is tied to turf and landscape irrigation, and the Arizona Department of Water Resources says landscaping is the largest use of potable water in Arizona. In a place where a broken irrigation system can quickly stress even desert-adapted plantings, the garden’s temporary shutdown showed how fragile outdoor learning spaces can be when water access is interrupted.

The garden is part of the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension’s local education mission from its Yuma County office at 2200 W. 28th St., Suite 102, in Yuma. John Metha, an outreach instructional specialist with the Cooperative Extension, said the garden gives visitors a place to take workshops, learn, relax, and see shade-loving and drought-aware plants in action. That role stretches beyond display beds: the garden is a working example of how native Arizona plants can be folded into home landscapes that have to withstand extreme heat and limited water.

Yuma County Master Gardeners help maintain a two-acre community garden at the Yuma Ag Center, where the space is used for school tours, community tours, U-Pick dates, and donations to the Yuma Community Food Bank. The University of Arizona says its Certified Master Gardener Volunteer Training Course is a 20-week program focused on environmentally responsible gardening, water conservation, and healthy communities. For residents who want more than a visit, the training program links the garden to broader education on plant science, soil health, and composting.

The Robert J. Moody Demonstration Garden has deeper local roots too. The Yuma chapter of the Arizona Native Plant Society says the garden was started in 2004 by the Moody Garden Makers, is open 365 days a year, and is free to the public. A 2018 KYMA story described it as a small, whimsical garden operated through the Master Gardeners program, a description that still fits a site built to be both a public attraction and a hands-on lesson in desert landscaping.