
Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden
Membership Application
Location: The 2/3 acre Garden is located in Polliwog Park on Peck Avenue, just north of Manhattan Beach Blvd.
Hours: Open to the public daily, 8:00 am until sundown Admission: Free
Volunteer: Every Friday from 9:30 - 11:30 am. No need to sign up, just drop in. This is the time when the garden is maintained. Appointments may be made for group projects on weekends. Non-gardening jobs are available as well. Contact Julie at the address posted at the bottom of this page.
Mission: Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden is a non-profit public education organization dedicated to promoting earth-friendly gardening techniques, encouraging the use of California native and drought-tolerant plants, and conserving our natural resources.
New Features: Seven, two-foot
by three-foot state-park quality interpretive signs were installed in late
November of 2007. Together they offer an
educational self-guided tour through the garden covering topics such as California
Friendly Plants, Mulch and Compost, Water: Where it Comes From and Ways
to Conserve, Our Mediterranean Climate, Creatures of the
Garden, How to Create a Wildlife Habitat and Garden History. View signs here:
http://www.westbasin.org/WaterReliability2020/Conservation/PublicProjects/tabid/170/Default.aspx
More Fun, Free
& Educational Classes will coming in FALL of 2009
All classes meet at the MB BotanicalGarden and are FREE, but prior registration is required for most. If the minimum number of sign-ups have not
registered one-week prior to the class it may be canceled. Call or e-mail Julie Gonella to reserve a
spot at 310-546-1354 or Julie@manhattanbeachbotanicalgarden.org The Garden is located in Polliwog Park on Peck Avenue, just north of Manhattan Beach Blvd.
Here's what we have going on all year on a drop-in basis:
Sunday Morning Bird Watch at Polliwog Park
All but the 3rd Sunday morning if each month - 8am
Led by Bob Shaman, Wild Birds Unlimited nature store owner
Meet Bob on the corner of Manhattan Beach Blvd and Redondo Ave. at 8:00 (or join for coffee beforehand at
the Coffee Bean in Manhattan Village at 7:30 a.m.) ---anyone is
welcome. Binoculars and walking shoes are recommended.
Earth-Friendly Gardening Techniques/Weekly Volunteer Time
Fridays 9:30 – 11:30am
Maintenance Directors, Ann Barklow, Gretchen
Renshaw Zwissler, Mimi Andersen and Julie Gonella
Get a personal tour and learn about earth-friendly
gardening. Learn proper techniques for
weeding, raking, mulching, trimming, beneficial pest management and more. Meet other community members who support the
Garden and receive a free bag of mulch for your own garden. This is the time our volunteers maintain the Garden. We'd love for you to join us!
The Garden's new BLOG: http://www.manhattan-beach-botanical-garden.blogspot.com Post your thoughts about the Garden, or what critters you've seen, or plants that impressed you.
How MBBG fulfills its mission of resource conservation education:
1. Maintains a public demonstration garden which:
* Conserves fresh water by irrigating with reclaimed water, growing California native and drought-tolerant plants and using mulch to deter soil evaporation and weeds
* Minimizes contribution to the waste stream by recycling and composting green waste
* Attracts and accommodates local wildlife
* Is free of toxic chemicals and fertilizers
* Accommodates the public with ADA compliant pathways, a drinking fountain, and restrooms close by in Polliwog Park
2. Disseminates information about resource conservation, the Garden and local gardening projects and news via:
* Publications such as informational brochures and a bi-monthly newsletter The Gardener's Grapevine
* 7 educational interpretive signs providing a self-guided garden tour
* Website
* Formal garden tours
* Workshops and lectures
* Displays at events and local library
Handy Resources on Native Plants and Creating a Nature Habitat:
WEBSITES...
Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers
and Native Plants: www.theodorepayne.org
California Native Plant Society: www.cnps.org
BOOKS...
California Native
Plants for the Garden By Carol Bornstein, David
Fross and Bart O’Brien
Designing California
Native Gardens By Glenn Keator and Alrie
Middlebrook
Western Garden Book By Sunset
Native Treasures By Nevin Smith
Care & Maintenance of Southern California Native Plant Gardens By Bart O'Brien, Betsey Landis, Ellen Mackey
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