Surfrider Long Beach and Surfrider Los Angeles have recently expanded two Ocean Friendly Gardens (OFG) projects that are ready to soak up the winter rains in SoCal. The chapters have also hosted stewardship events to tend to existing OFGs, keeping these spaces looking good and working well to protect clean water at the coast!
Southern California has hot, dry summers and cooler, wetter winters, making fall and winter the perfect time to plant native plants and spread wildflower seeds in our OFGs. Unlike places that freeze in the winter, springtime is actually not the most ideal planting season in our warmer coastal areas.
Planting in fall and winter gives new plants several months of milder weather to put down roots, soak up rain, and save up energy for their spring blooms. Many of these plants stop growing during the hottest months of the year, or even go dormant and brown. This works out perfectly if you want to spend all summer surfing or hanging out at the beach!
Kuruvungna Springs: Bioswale Planting
Building on the bioswale project started last year, volunteers planted 157 native plants in the upper portions of the bioswale to boost runoff filtration. The new plants will help soak up stormwater and pollution flowing from the adjacent parking lot, while the creek-shaped swale makes space for the water to slow down and sink in to the soil.
This bioswale filters runoff pollution before it reaches the historic freshwater spring, letting stormwater soak into the soil instead of the overflow drain that ultimately leads out to Santa Monica Bay.
Volunteers also weeded the other portions of the bioswale, spread mulch, and tested the flow of the planted swale with a hose. We wrapped up the day with a tamale lunch at the picnic tables, giving volunteers a chance to connect and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.
The new flagstone walking bridges that the Gabrieleno-Tongva Springs Foundation added over the swale are looking great and let water pass through easily. We are excited to see this new entryway in full bloom in the spring!
Beyond Baroque OFG: Site Care & Planting
The Ocean Friendly Garden at Beyond Baroque was planted by Surfrider LA volunteers back in 2013, and since then has been capturing and filtering the runoff from the historic Venice City Hall building.
Safe Place for Youth (SPY) has edible gardens, raised beds, and a mini-orchard flanking either side of the OFG, and maintains the space throughout the year with volunteers, staff, and their youth program members.
SPY lended their tools and gathering space to the event, and SPY staff member, Morgan, led us on a tour of their garden and how they use it to provide fresh, nutritious food to the youth experiencing homelessness they work with.
Surfrider chatted about how the OFG helps to protect clean water, what California native plants are in the garden, and how stewarding these neighborhood-scale projects keeps them thriving and functioning to protect clean water. We added some more native plants to spots that were looking bare, weeded, pruned, and spread lots and lots of California poppy seeds for a superbloom next spring.
Nurturing these projects as they grow is key to their long term success, and cultivates a sense of ownership for community members.
Thanks to our volunteers and community partners who helped create & steward these Ocean Friendly Gardens! Together we are making healthier, more resilient watersheds possible across LA County, protecting clean water for all.