Fwd: City of PG Drought tolerant garden

[Sarah Damron]

Hi garden team,

Please see below re: request from City of PG and its plans for a garden at the P.G. Visitors Bureau.  At the very least, it seems like we could provide them with an OFG handbook (to guide their planning and design) and offer to give them an OFG yard sign if they meet the criteria (http://oceanfriendlygardens.blogspot.com/2010/11/sign-criteria.html)...maybe this would persuade them to go beyond "drought tolerant" and consider the bigger picture.  

I am thinking there might be a bigger opportunity here to leverage the City's plans and get them to fund a Hands On Workshop to teach community members OFG principles and how-to in return for community members' commitment to volunteer and help put in the garden.  (Basically, the City would pay $3000 or so (..I think that is what they charge for other chapters doing OFG) to hire Green Gardens Group/G3 to put on a training session and get free labor from community members as opposed to spending $3000 on paid labor...everyone wins at no extra cost).  Then we could funnel these trained volunteers into our program to help with the Green Spot garden.  What do you think?

Also, do we know any landscapers we would maybe want to suggest?  (Raphael?)

Sarah 

cell: 831 239 1520

Begin forwarded message:

From: Vicki Pearse

Date: January 28, 2011 9:36:16 AM PST

To: Sarah Damron <sda...@surfrider.org>

Cc: Carmelita Garcia, Kerry Sissem, Virginia Montanez, Heidi Feldman, Louann Lampa, Tera Marshall, Laurie Warner, Robert or Denyse Frischmuth 

Subject: Re: Drought tolerant garden

Hi Sarah,

Mayor Garcia has asked whether SPG would like to be involved in the drought-tolerant garden being planned for the new P.G. Visitors Bureau at 100 Central Ave., on the corner of Eardley and Central. Could you direct her to the people who have worked on the drought-tolerant garden at the Green Spot? Would any of that group like to be involved? I am copying her on this message as well as SPG's Gardening Action Group.

The garden area is not large (as I recall it), but will be conspicuous and a good model.

Many thanks for any leads you can give us in connecting with expertise and volunteers,
   Vicki

[Antony Tersol]

Sounds good.

I can think of a few different landscapers I know who do this type of
work. I'll put together a list with contact info.

Tony

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Antony Tersol
Solex / Applied Solar Energy
831-333-1919

[Travis Speegle]

 

This is a great opportunity and a great idea for leveraging the City's plans... I think we can make that work. 

[Antony Tersol]

I talked w/ one of my landscaping friends:

Casey Lyon, Habitat Gardens.
http://www.habitatgarden.com

He was totally interested, and I think would donate both plant
materials, and labor.

Thinking further about it, I think we could propose to any number of
local landscaping firms that specialize in native plants, drought
resistant, etc., as well as nurseries, Let them propose and construct
demonstraton gardens, which would be signed with their names/marketing
materials.

Require that they follow the principles of Ocean Friendly Gardens.
Since they are professional landscapers, and already versed in many of
the principles, I think it wouldn't be necessary to spend the money
for bringing in outside consultants. The $3000 could be used either
for materials, or for stipends, or perhaps even awards for the best
gardens. And require also that they each give a workshop for
homeowners about some aspect, whether be about design, general
principles, irrigation, etc.

Other PG landscapers

http://halllandscape.com Hall Landscape - I knew these guys from a
long time ago. Their brother manages the Arboreteum at UCSC.

http://www.ayreslandscaping.com Ayres Landscaping

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