Authentic Foothill Gardens
at the Sierra Madre City Hall
232 W Sierra Madre Blvd
Sierra Madre, CA 91024
Established:
2015
Size:
9100 sq feet
Features:
Bioswales
Lawn alternatives
Municipal buildings
Formal gardens
Themed gardens
Best Time to visit:
Spring and summer:
The plants in the garden have a variety of gorgeous blooms and the space is planted with spring wildflowers every year. Late summer brings the gorgeous bright pink/red flowers of the spice bush.
“What will Sierra Madre look like in 2050? The answer depends, in a large part, on the landscaping choices we make right now.” This sentiment is the driving thought behind the Authentic Foothill Gardens found at the Sierra Madre City Hall.
When so many of our municipal buildings are surrounded by depressing, barely alive and bog-standard exotic ornamental landscaping, they broke with tradition and created something beautiful and inspiring. The garden looks to the future and wants that future to be better for those who are to come.
The garden is divided into seven different sections, the Fire Garden, Chaparral Garden, Wildlife Garden, Edible Garden, Rain Garden, and Shade Garden. Each section has a plaque with information about the garden and the plants that are featured. With this variety there is something for all possible growing conditions found in Sierra Madre. The gardens are slightly more formal in style, with more controlled pruning than is often seen in native plant gardens. This is often countered with the softness of the textures and delightful details tucked in here and there.
Look out for little additions of yarrow and red buckwheat tucked in and around larger shrubs like white sage and brittlebush. The front lawn is a lawn alternative made from native grasses that requires lower water and less pesticides than a traditional lawn. There are several types of grass featured around the gardens.
“When so many of our municipal buildings are surrounded by depressing, barely alive and bog-standard exotic ornamental landscaping, they broke with tradition and created something beautiful and inspiring.”
Bioswales are a key component to Sierra Madre’s water. They help replenish groundwater and aquifers and filter water that eventually makes it into our rivers and lakes. There are several bioswales in the garden, both covered in meadow grass and those that are covered in rocks. Bioswales can sometimes look a little awkward, but those designed here are lovely, especially with their little wooden bridges.
In 2013, in the midst of an intense drought, the city of Sierra Madre sent out letters detailing the new water restrictions and rate hikes. Tucked into this letter of bad news was a call for donations for the new gardens surrounding the City Hall. Admittedly this was not a huge success at first, many blame the timing of the letter.
However, over time the garden began to take shape. It was funded entirely through donations and created through volunteer work. Each garden was created in collaboration between FormLA and a different community leader. In addition to being beautiful and a support to local wildlife, the garden reduced water usage by 75 percent.
The space is expected to reduce almost all operational costs, many such as fertilizer, soil amendments and pesticides are expected to be completely unnecessary. Like many government programs, the focus here is more on lowering maintenance costs and reducing water usage.
“In addition to being beautiful and a support to local wildlife, the garden reduced water usage by 75 percent”
While this is less romantic than creating habitat and connecting ones self to the land, this is an important conversation. Native plants are cheaper and require less maintenance and can speak to those who take those concerns to heart, especially as water gets more and more expensive.
More Information
Opening Hours:
All of them we guess?
Authentic Foothill Gardens
at the Sierra Madre City Hall
232 W Sierra Madre Blvd
Sierra Madre, CA 91024
Established:
2015
Size:
9100 sq. ft
Features:
Bioswales
Lawn alternatives
Municipal buildings
Formal gardens
Themed gardens
Best Time to visit:
Spring and summer:
The plants in the garden have a variety of gorgeous blooms and the space is planted with spring wildflowers every year. Late summer brings the gorgeous bright pink/red flowers of the spice bush.
“What will Sierra Madre look like in 2050? The answer depends, in a large part, on the landscaping choices we make right now.” This sentiment is the driving thought behind the Authentic Foothill Gardens found at the Sierra Madre City Hall.
When so many of our municipal buildings are surrounded by depressing, barely alive and bog-standard exotic ornamental landscaping, they broke with tradition and created something beautiful and inspiring. The garden looks to the future and wants that future to be better for those who are to come.
The garden is divided into seven different sections, the Fire Garden, Chaparral Garden, Wildlife Garden, Edible Garden, Rain Garden, and Shade Garden. Each section has a plaque with information about the garden and the plants that are featured. With this variety there is something for all possible growing conditions found in Sierra Madre. The gardens are slightly more formal in style, with more controlled pruning than is often seen in native plant gardens. This is often countered with the softness of the textures and delightful details tucked in here and there.
Look out for little additions of yarrow and red buckwheat tucked in and around larger shrubs like white sage and brittlebush. The front lawn is a lawn alternative made from native grasses that requires lower water and less pesticides than a traditional lawn. There are several types of grass featured around the gardens.
“When so many of our municipal buildings are surrounded by depressing, barely alive and bog-standard exotic ornamental landscaping, they broke with tradition and created something beautiful and inspiring“
Bioswales are a key component to Sierra Madre’s water. They help replenish groundwater and aquifers and filter water that eventually makes it into our rivers and lakes. There are several bioswales in the garden, both covered in meadow grass and those that are covered in rocks. Bioswales can sometimes look a little awkward, but those designed here are lovely, especially with their little wooden bridges.
In 2013, in the midst of an intense drought, the city of Sierra Madre sent out letters detailing the new water restrictions and rate hikes. Tucked into this letter of bad news was a call for donations for the new gardens surrounding the City Hall. Admittedly this was not a huge success at first, many blame the timing of the letter.
However, over time the garden began to take shape. It was funded entirely through donations and created through volunteer work. Each garden was created in collaboration between FormLA and a different community leader. In addition to being beautiful and a support to local wildlife, the garden reduced water usage by 75 percent.
The space is expected to reduce almost all operational costs, many such as fertilizer, soil amendments and pesticides are expected to be completely unnecessary. Like many government programs, the focus here is more on lowering maintenance costs and reducing water usage.
”In addition to being beautiful and a support to local wildlife, the garden reduced water usage by 75 percent”
While this is less romantic than creating habitat and connecting ones self to the land, this is an important conversation. Native plants are cheaper and require less maintenance and can speak to those who take those concerns to heart, especially as water gets more and more expensive.
More Information
Opening Hours:
All of them we guess?
Authentic
Foothill Gardens at the
Sierra Madre City Hall
232 W Sierra Madre Blvd
Sierra Madre, CA 91024
Established:
2015
Size:
9100 sq ft
Features:
Bioswales
Lawn alternatives
Municipal buildings
Formal gardens
Themed gardens
Best Time to visit:
Spring and summer:
The plants in the garden have a variety of gorgeous blooms and the space is planted with spring wildflowers every year. Late summer brings the gorgeous bright pink/red flowers of the spice bush.
“What will Sierra Madre look like in 2050? The answer depends, in a large part, on the landscaping choices we make right now.” It was opened to the public not long afterward. The small nursery, demonstration gardens, and public programing are mostly run by volunteers.
When so many of our municipal buildings are surrounded by depressing, barely alive and bog-standard exotic ornamental landscaping, they broke with tradition and created something beautiful and inspiring. The garden looks to the future and wants that future to be better for those who are to come.
The garden is divided into seven different sections, the Fire Garden, Chaparral Garden, Wildlife Garden, Edible Garden, Rain Garden, and Shade Garden. Each section has a plaque with information about the garden and the plants that are featured. With this variety there is something for all possible growing conditions found in Sierra Madre. The gardens are slightly more formal in style, with more controlled pruning than is often seen in native plant gardens. This is often countered with the softness of the textures and delightful details tucked in here and there.
Look out for little additions of yarrow and red buckwheat tucked in and around larger shrubs like white sage and brittlebush. The front lawn is a lawn alternative made from native grasses that requires lower water and less pesticides than a traditional lawn. There are several types of grass featured around the gardens.
“When so many of our municipal buildings are surrounded by depressing, barely alive and bog-standard exotic ornamental landscaping, they broke with tradition and created something beautiful and inspiring“
Bioswales are a key component to Sierra Madre’s water. They help replenish groundwater and aquifers and filter water that eventually makes it into our rivers and lakes. There are several bioswales in the garden, both covered in meadow grass and those that are covered in rocks. Bioswales can sometimes look a little awkward, but those designed here are lovely, especially with their little wooden bridges.
In 2013, in the midst of an intense drought, the city of Sierra Madre sent out letters detailing the new water restrictions and rate hikes. Tucked into this letter of bad news was a call for donations for the new gardens surrounding the City Hall. Admittedly this was not a huge success at first, many blame the timing of the letter.
However, over time the garden began to take shape. It was funded entirely through donations and created through volunteer work. Each garden was created in collaboration between FormLA and a different community leader. In addition to being beautiful and a support to local wildlife, the garden reduced water usage by 75 percent.
”In addition to being beautiful and a support to local wildlife, the garden reduced water usage by 75 percent”
While this is less romantic than creating habitat and connecting ones self to the land, this is an important conversation. Native plants are cheaper and require less maintenance and can speak to those who take those concerns to heart, especially as water gets more and more expensive.
The Arroyo Secco has a team they call “Trout Scouts” who find and count the fish at various times during the year.
The Hahamongna Watershed combination of mule and black willow makes it a critically important breeding habitat for birds. According to California Fish and Game, 55 species breed in the area. Two of these species, the Yellow Warbler and the Yellow-breasted Chat are listed as “California bird species of special concern” and the Least Bell’s Vireo, is listed as federally endangered.
The Hahamongna Watershed and the ongoing restoration represent a hopeful change in the way that we understand our water systems and our threatened riparian habitats.
More Information
Opening Hours:
All of them we guess?