On July 20, the Gardena Mayme Dear Library will unveil its newest addition, an ocean-friendly garden.
“Ocean Friendly” revolves around Conservation, Permeability and Retention, all with the aim of conserving water while still creating aesthetically pleasing gardens.
The unveiling will kick off with a special 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony that will include guest speakers from West Basin Municipal Water District, the organization that sponsored the library’s ocean-friendly garden, as well as Gardena Mayor Tasha Cerda. Refreshments will be served.
On July 20, the Gardena Mayme Dear Library will unveil its newest addition, an ocean-friendly garden.
“Ocean Friendly” revolves around Conservation, Permeability and Retention, all with the aim of conserving water while still creating aesthetically pleasing gardens.
The unveiling will kick off with a special 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony that will include guest speakers from West Basin Municipal Water District, the organization that sponsored the library’s ocean-friendly garden, as well as Gardena Mayor Tasha Cerda. Refreshments will be served.
The newest library addition was the result of the West Basin Municipal Water District partnering with the Surfrider Foundation to develop the Ocean Friendly Landscape Program.
The California Department of Water Resources awarded West Basin funding for the project, which is comprised of 4 major components: construction of ocean-friendly demonstration gardens at public sites; free “Hands-on-Workshops” for customers; installation of smart sprinkler controllers for large landscapes; and distribution of smart sprinkler controllers for residents through free exchange events and increased rebates.
Surprisingly, this is not Gardena’s first foray into ocean-friendly waters.
In 2015, the West Basin Municipal Water District also installed an ocean-friendly garden at Rowley Park. The 2,094-square-foot sustainable garden features drought-tolerant plants that thrive in dry climates and are designed to conserve up to 80 percent of drinking water.
The Ocean Friendly Demonstration Garden is based on the principal of creating gardens that are aesthetically pleasing and promote the conservation, permeability and retention of water.
In order to participate, interested parties must attend a California Friendly Landscape Training Class hosted by Metropolitan Water District.
Then, at a hands-on-workshop held at the demonstration garden location, residents learn about permeable pavement, drought-tolerant and native plants, the proper use of mulch and smart irrigation equipment including weather-based irrigation controllers (WBICs). The workshops teach and have participants apply methods that reduce water consumption, runoff and ocean pollution.
This ocean-friendly garden project addresses runoff problems and reduces outdoor water usage by 20 to 50 percent by providing information about WBICs and native plant landscaping. The target landscape sites include large landscapes, schools, parks, homeowner associations, business parks, facility landscapes, street medians, and residential sites more than 1,500 square feet that are the top water users in the area. This program is implemented throughout the West Basin service area.
For more information on ocean-friendly gardens, please visit www.westbasin.org.
