Smokin’ Design At Inglewood Fire Station OFG
Posted on 15. Mar, 2012 by pamela in Compost Tea, Fire Station 171, G3 Blog, G3 Community, G3 Design Studio, G3 Partners, Living Soil, Los Angeles/South Bay, Rain Gardens, Resources, Surfrider Foundation, Watershed Notes, West Basin
Spring has arrived a trifle early at the West Basin Ocean Friendly Demonstration Garden Project at Inglewood Fire Station 171. G3 Founding Member, Marilee Kuhlmann’s planting design is beginning to fill in and start its non-stop blooming, despite the slow start from an extremely dry winter.
This garden, populated entirely by all-native or close cultivars, was completed in November 2011 with the expectation that the rainy season would help the plants to become established. Thank goddess for that healthy, mycorrhizal fungi-filled soil G3 created on site through multiple applications of Aerobic Compost Tea from G3 Associate, Sherri Powell (a.k.a. Compost Teana) on relatively young compost produced by Las Virgenes MWD from biosolids derived from their water treatment facility.
Fungal Soil From Compost Tea
Alas, not much water has been able to gather in the rock-filled swales that capture storm water runoff from the adjacent hard surfaces like the decomposed granite pathway and existing sidewalks.
Groundcovers like pink yarrow (Achillea millefolium ‘Island Pink’) and coral bells (Heuchera maxima) already are filling in the gaps between California native oaks (Quercus agrifolia) and sycamores (Platanus racemosa), which are just beginning to bloom or show their leaves.
Salvia and Calylophus heat up garden
Red autumn sages (Salvia greggii) and yellow sundrops (Calylophus hartwegii) give that hot blast of color so appropriate for spring at a fire station. This Ocean Friendly Garden already is proving that Marilee’s painterly approach is a perennial crowd-pleaser. Once again, G3 demonstrates that an Ocean Friendly Garden is the right stuff for public and commercial properties and is just as appropriate in your own front yard.
Inglewood Fire Station OFG Wrapped Up With Ribbon Cutting
Posted on 06. Dec, 2011 by pamela in Fire Station 171, G3 Blog, G3 Community, G3 Design Studio, G3 In The News, G3 Media, G3 Partners, Los Angeles/South Bay, Surfrider Foundation, West Basin
West Basin MWD, G3, Jungle Nursery, and the top LA County Fire Department officials celebrated the completion of installation at the Inglewood Fire Station 171 Ocean Friendly Garden with a classic ribbon cutting. West Basin Director, Gloria Gray, had the honor of wielding the giant scissors, accompanied by Fire Chief, Daryl L. Osby, who, along with several members of Fire Station 171, made sure only the ribbon got cut in the ceremony. This is one instance in which paramedics really were “standing by.”
Chief Osby expressed delighted surprise that the garden was “so much more beautiful and inspiring than the old grass”. And he stated that he would “like to see this kind of landscape at every fire station in the County.” G3 agrees with you, Chief Osby. Let’s get the team motivated to write a grant and make it happen!
This project represents the first Ocean Friendly Garden in a series of ten total gardens to be designed by G3 in cities throughout the West Basin MWD service area. The design and installation of the gardens is paid for through a California Proposition 50 Grant matching funds from the City or other property steward.
Temporary signage was created for the event, to help visitors understand the Ocean Friendly elements of the landscape and visualize the beauty of the garden in a few months. G3 is looking forward to this one growing in and inspiring the entire neighborhood with a natural sense of place: Inglewood, California.
Planting Begins At Inglewood Fire Station 171 OFG
Posted on 02. Nov, 2011 by pamela in Fire Station 171, G3 Blog, G3 Community, G3 Design Studio, G3 Partners, Los Angeles/South Bay, Ocean Friendly Gardens, Surfrider Foundation, West Basin
WB Inglewood Fire Station 171 OFG
After many months of design and negotiation, the planting began today in earnest at the first West Basin Ocean Friendly Demonstration Garden Project in Inglewood, CA at Fire Station 171. The all-female camp crews are rocking (no pun intended) this landscaping project by providing the needed labor to plant the native trees and shrubs. These crews are strong, motivated, and interested in learning the skills of planting and tending the natural environments they are so often struggling to save when assisting fire fighters during forest fires.
Ron Durbin, Deputy Forester, LA County Fire Dept.
Under the direction of Ron Durbin, Deputy Forester, Malibu Forestry Unit, LA County Fire Department, the camp crews sighted and planted multiple California native oak (Quercus agrifolia) and sycamore (Platanus racemosa) trees in the front of the Fire Station 171 building. Over the past several months, the site had been prepared with the removal of several non-native eucalyptus and silk floss trees, an oleander hedge, and weedy warm season turf grass. The crews graded the site to emphasize the catchment of rain water for the benefit of the planned new trees, and laid river rock of various sizes to indicate the path of the water during a storm.
G3 Founding Member, Marilee Kuhlmann led the design team, including G3 Associate, and Licensed Landscape Architect, Alison Terry, in designing a natural woodland garden which is likely to become a much-needed refuge for native birds and butterflies. Marilee’s sensitive and thoughtful design was based on a several-years-old conceptual plan provided by Ron Durbin, who is trained as a landscape architect and is currently managing growing and grounds improvement at the LA County Fire Department’s Prevention Bureau – Forestry Division, Malibu Forestry Unit. Many of the trees were grown by Ron and his team for post-fire restoration. Tree of Life Nursery in San Juan Capistrano provided the balance of the tough native shrubs and perennials for the garden.
Planting Trees at Fire Station 171
Fire Station 171 is the first of ten Ocean Friendly Demonstration Gardens that will be designed by G3 as part of a CA state grant secured by West Basin Municipal Water District and Surfrider Foundation to support the Ocean Friendly Landscape Program in West Basin territory.
West Basin's Gus Meza and Leighanne Kirk At Inglewood OFG
Cities throughout the Water District have been encouraged to partner with West Basin to provide resources for matching the grant funds to have a demonstration garden built in their area. The Ocean Friendly Demonstration Gardens demonstrate Surfrider Foundation’s principles of C.P.R. (Conservation, Permeability, and Retention), and uniquely pair the desires of the water supplier to see reduced water use with the desires of the environmental group to see dry and wet weather pollution prevention. Since this garden is being built at a Fire Station, the principles of Firescaping also are being employed.
Inglewood Fire Station 171 Before OFG
Check out the before picture, and then stop by any time over the next few weeks to see the completion of this beautiful and educational landscape.
The OFG is located at 141 West Regent Street, in the heart of downtown Inglewood near the Courthouse, City Hall, and across the street from Crozier Middle School.
Inglewood Fire Station 171 Groundbreaking
Posted on 09. Sep, 2011 by pamela in Fire Station 171, G3 Blog, G3 Community, G3 Design Studio, G3 In The News, G3 Partners, Los Angeles/South Bay, Ocean Friendly Gardens, Rain Gardens, Surfrider Foundation, Watershed Notes, West Basin
Inglewood Fire Station 171 Before OFG
West Basin MWD Director, Gloria Grey was joined by Inglewood Mayor, James Butts and Fire Chief, Kelly Seyarto in breaking ground at the Inglewood Fire Station 171 Ocean Friendly Demonstration Garden.
Over the next several months, the garden will be transformed from a grass-dominated landscape with no native trees or shrubs into an Ocean Friendly Garden using Surfider Foundation’s principles of C.P.R. (Conservation, Permeability, and Retention). In order to achieve the OFG, the site will be graded to retain rain water and replanted with California native plants irrigated through a drip irrigation system controlled by a weather-based irrigation controller. Ocean Friendly Gardens reduce water consumption by as much as 80%, and retain the First Flush (first 3/4″ – 1″ of rain after a dry spell) of storm water to prevent ocean pollution.
Everyone is encouraged to stop by and ask questions about the garden as it is being installed, and stay tuned to our blog posts for updates. Inglewood Today Newspaper covered the groundbreaking ceremony. Inglewood Today Fire Station 171 090911
