Planting Party
Join us for a Planting Party! The name captures the fun and excitement of creating new green spaces—whether it’s an entire garden or a single tree. There’s something inherently optimistic about planting: every seedling represents hope for what’s to come.
This event embodies that spirit perfectly. Volunteers will work together to give each young plant a strong start, creating a thriving plant community that benefits us all.
Event Details:
- When: Saturday, February 21, 9:00 AM – Noon (Please arrive on time for planting instructions)
- Where: South Pasadena Nature Park, 100 block of Pasadena Ave, east of York Blvd Bridge. Street parking is available on Pasadena Ave for the upper entrance, and in the parking lots near the golf course by the lower entrance. Meet in the park near the lower entrance, next to the recreational path.
– Apple Maps: Arroyo Woodland & Wildlife Nature Park
– Google Maps: South Pasadena Nature Park - What to expect: We will demonstrate proper planting techniques, then we’ll get our hands dirty! Coffee and refreshments will be provided.
- Please register: Eventbrite
New to planting? No problem! We’ll have experienced volunteers on hand to guide you. For those who’d like to prepare, check out the LA Micro Forest planting guide.
Come ready to work, connect with fellow nature lovers, and help our park grow.
A Report on January’s Micro-forest Workshop
In January, Katherine Pakradouni led a micro-forest workshop in the Nature Park. Katherine, our micro-forest guide and principal of Seed to Landscape, discussed the concepts behind using micro-forests in Southern California. Although this technique originated in moister, more temperate climates, she has worked to modify it so that the benefits of planting layers of plants—canopy trees, understory trees, large shrubs, and herbaceous perennials—closely spaced, apply to our environment. We don’t have dense forests in coastal Southern California, so she changed the formula for plant selection and spacing to more closely reflect the oak/walnut/elderberry woodlands that we do have. You can read more about her approach at LA Micro Forests.
But does it work?
Traditionally, plants are spaced further apart, and often include only shrubs or trees, more closely reflecting the mature plant community. The theory for using the micro-forest approach is that the faster-growing subshrubs and herbaceous perennials will help create conditions, both below and above ground, that facilitate more rapid growth of the larger shrubs and trees. As they mature, the understory plants will be shaded out and a healthy woodland or forest will remain.
There isn’t a lot of data comparing sites planted with each method. Nonetheless, it’s our hope that this experimental planting will provide new information on techniques for establishing a small, healthy forested area in a disturbed urban site. As the understory fills in, we’re expecting that the density of native plants will discourage the typical proliferation of weeds. The shaded soil will be cooler and remain damper than exposed areas. Both outcomes would greatly reduce the amount of work required as the native plants establish – less watering, less weeding.
BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Friends of South Pasadena Nature Park and Seed to Landscape, with funding from South Pasadena Beautiful.
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