California State University Northridge Botanic Garden
It has grown through the administrations of succeeding San Fernando Valley State College and the present day CSUN Biology Department.
There are four greenhouses in the garden: “a living library of diverse plant specimens, an outdoor classroom for students of all ages and interests, a beautiful refuge for quiet study or strolling, an ever-changing setting to paint or sketch, and a valued community asset”.
This fostered a great opportunity for pollinator-focused efforts throughout the gardens that allows students, volunteers and facility to improve the health of the vital pollinator populations.
[5] California State University Northridge has an official Sustainability Day every year on October 24, which is recognized throughout the campus, school and faculty.
[6] In 2020 California State University Northridge and community partners turned the unused corners of CSUN's garden into a safe haven for pollinators, such as the hummingbirds and bees.
CSUN and a team of community partners are turning unused corners of the city into safe havens for bees, hummingbirds, and other pollinators that are critical to growing the planet's food supply.
Once the pockets are planted and built, Zappia said, he hopes they will provide extra learning opportunities for CSUN students from several different colleges — including science, social services, humanities, urban studies, and history majors — giving them a chance to explore the community and learn more about the city's rich history in a hands-on way.
The organizers also hope to involve local school children in the project, to teach them the importance of pollinators and about the dwindling bee population.
California State University has minimized the use of pesticides that could be or are potential harmful for the bee populations and other at risk pollinators.
The location includes a botanical garden with a variety of unique plants, a nursery, a shade house, and greenhouse areas.
Ann has published a chapter on Flora and the ecology of the Santa Monica Mountains in 2007 for the Southern California Botanists' special publication in Fullerton, CA.
More specific plant species than can be found in the garden are: Portea petropolitana, Giant White Squill/Sea Squill (Drimia Urginea maritima), Sundew (Drosera spp.
Collections in the native food garden include: California poppies, Native Bunch Gras s (Wild Dry), Purple Needle Grass, Mugwort, sub shrubs, coast morning glory (Ipomoea cairica), tomato plant, coyote gourd (Cucurbita palmata), golden currant (Ribes aureum), gooseberries, California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), Cleveland sage (Salvia clevelandii), black elderberry (Sambucus cerulea), torrey pine, chaparral sage (Salvia clevelandii), California bristle bush (Encelia californica), coastal golden bush (Isocoma menziesii), islands mallow (Malva assurgentiflora), cheese weed (Malva parviflora), pomegranate tree (Punica protopunica), and native cover crop.
Volunteers are an essential part to the garden in making sure the plants are taken care of and that bigger projects on site are completed in record time.
Activities such as weeding, starting seeds, transplanting, soil mixing, propagation, minor pruning, composting, grooming of plant material, and repotting are often done.
Some aspects learned during the work sessions include taking inventory, labeling, record entry, seed collection, etc.
The garden also is usable as an event site for weddings, private parties, filming for TV, commercial use, and music videos.
