Showcase Features: This school garden is an attractive outdoor learning center for any adventurous class at Dan Lairon Elementary school. Students and their parents learn about native plants while volunteering after school in the garden. On tour day, students will serve as docents in the garden, to share what they've learned.

Other Garden Attractions: Plants in the garden include ceanothus, lemonade berry, toyons, coast silk tassel, and a variety of pollen, nectar, and berry plants. A dozen native trees are planted nearby, with the help of Our City Forest. The native garden is planted near the class vegetable garden, to discourage the school district maintenance crews from spraying herbicides near the food crops and children. Children in the class will research the native plants in the garden and present this information to tour-goers on tour day.

Gardening for Wildlife: Food, water, shelter and nesting places are provided, and the garden has already been discovered by a variety of insects and birds. As the garden matures, its wildlife habitat value will greatly improve over time.

Years of CA Native Gardening at this Location: 8

Garden Size: 3000 sq ft

Designer: Original design by Agi Kehoe, updated by Larry Volpe and his fifth grade students
Installer: Larry Volpe and fifth grade students

Click here to display the plant list in a printer-friendly format (from year 2011).