Annual picnic is off this year as the Altadena Community Garden revitalizes landscape

by Timothy Rutt

 

Silvera Grant holds up a diagram of the Altadena Community Garden revitalization project at the March meeting of the Altadena Chamber of Commerce.

The good news: the Altadena Community Garden is planning to revitalize the landscaping outside of the garden.

 

The bad news:  the work means there'll be no picnic this year.

According to Silvera Grant, director of the garden at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Palm Street,  the  shrubs in the area outside of the garden fence were getting old, and full of litter and invasive plants.  Garden members, along with students from Cal Poly Pomona, drew up a Corner Revitalization Project for garden.

So far, the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation "has already cleared, mulched and installed a new state of the art solar timer irrigation system" in the landscaped area outside of the garden's fence.  

"They will also provide long term maintenance of the area once the project is completed. The only parts missing now are the plants and planting supplies to cover the 3,800 square feet, estimated to cost $14,000," Grand said in a press release.  To raise that money, the garden has mounted a capital campaign, thru direct mail requests and presentations to community groups.

The landscape outside the fence will be divided into three formal planting areas: California native plants, cactus and succulents, and drought-tolerant Mediterranean plants. "They will serve as educational tools for the community, providing landscaping ideas for those wishing to create water-conserving landscapes at home. In addition, the plants will be a draw for beneficial insects and pollinators, aiding the vegetable growers inside the ACG," Grant said in the release.

Altadena Heritage, the Altadena Kiwanis Club, and a private donor have already backed the project, according to Grant.

Grant told Altadenablog that the work meant that the annual picnic would have to be cancelled this year.

The garden -- which holds a well-attended annual picnic and resource fair --  was formed in 1973 and located at the site of the former Mt. Lowe Military Academy.  When the county decided to build an equestrian ring at what is now Loma Alta Park, the garden was moved to its present location.  It has 64 plots and hosts a children's gardening program and Victory Garden extension classes.  

The garden is a 501(c)3 corporation, and donations are tax-deductible.

To donate, checks should be made payable to Altadena Community Garden, and sent to P.O.Box 6212 - Altadena, CA 91003-621

For more information,call: 626-470-7482 or go to: http://www.altadenacommunitygarden.com.