Gayle Anderson was live in Los Angeles to continue her series of DROUGHT WATCH reports with the THEODORE PAYNE FOUNDATION FOR WILD FLOWERS AND NATIVE PLANTS, because the nonprofit organization has just won the Los Angeles County Green Leadership Award for the organization’s LANDSCAPING FOR RESILIENCE PROGRAM.
The foundation works with neighborhood councils and community volunteer groups to design, install, and maintain public native plant gardens. Also, there are educational lessons included with the development of the gardens, so people acquire new landscaping information and new landscaping skills needed to create and maintain their own property.
The foundation works with organizations such as Green Space Los Feliz, the Silver Lake Gardening Club, and the Los Angeles Police Department. And, the foundation has transformed the landscaping at the Los Feliz Post Office, Silver Lake Meadow, and the Topanga Los Angeles Police Department Station.
To help reduce outdoor water usage as much as possible, the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants offers the Landscaping for Resilience program (LFR), a series of FREE workshops for the public, with minimal fees to the partnering organization, to transform ornamental, water-thirsty landscapes in public spaces into examples of drought-tolerant native landscapes that offer beauty and respite.
LFR projects arise through community initiative. A strong community volunteer base is essential for success—neighbors, local school and faith-based groups, public agencies and neighborhood councils all collaborate to fund, install and maintain the native garden. Based on community input, the Foundation designs a native plant landscape that addresses specific location and usage needs. Fees vary with the size and complexity of the site. Participants are encouraged to use their project sites for public education through classes, informational signage and workshops—all of which spread knowledge about native plants and create skill sets for landscape change at home.
Landscaping for Resilience provides both environmental and social benefits, demonstrating how communities, government agencies and non-profits can work together to enhance green space and create positive environmental change within Los Angeles County. Tuesday, April 28th, the Theodore Payne Foundation was honored with a Green Leadership Award for its Landscaping for Resilience program at the 7th Annual Green Leadership Awards, which recognizes outstanding and innovative environmental sustainability projects.
Those interested in water conservation can learn all about native gardens and plants at the Theodore Payne Foundation, which offers classes on native garden design and maintenance. For more information about these classes, click HERE.
The Theodore Payne Foundation is open Thursday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Foundation is closed Sunday through Wednesday.
Established in 1960, the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the understanding, preservation and use of California native flora. The Foundation preserves the legacy and carries on the work of Theodore Payne, a pioneering Los Angeles nurseryman, horticulturist and conservationist widely considered to be the father of the native plant movement in California.
Landscaping for Resilience Program
Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants
10459 Tuxford Street
Sun Valley, CA 91352
(818) 768-1802
If you have questions, please feel free to call Gayle Anderson at 323-460-5732 or e-mail Gayle at Gayle.Anderson@KTLA.com
