Upcoming 2011 Ocean Friendly Garden Basics Classes

Special mini-class - Saturday, Feb. 19, 9am-11am, at the wonderful native plant nursery, Tree of Life in Orange County (33201 Ortega Hwy, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675). Rain or shine since the class takes place in the barn. Click here for details and here for driving directions. No RSVP needed.

Come join us at one of the next Ocean Friendly Gardens Basics Classes offered through a state grant received by Surfrider and West Basin Municipal Water District:

• March 19, 2011 (Saturday), 9am-12noon, in Malibu - Malibu City Hall, 23815 Stuart Ranch Road, Malibu, CA 90265 (map).
• April 7, 2011 (Thursday), 6pm-9pm, in Gardena - Nakaoka Community Center, 1670 W. 162nd St., Gardena, CA 90247 (map).
• May 14, 2011 (Saturday) [Tentative] 10am-1pm, in Redondo Beach - City Library, 303 N. Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 (map).
• June 4, 2011 (Saturday), 9am-12noon, in Manhattan Beach - Joslyn Center, 1601 North Valley Drive, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 (map).
• June 18, 2011 (Saturday), 10am-1pm, in Lawndale - County Library, 14615 Burin Ave., Lawndale, CA 90260 (map).

These are free. Register online (click "calendar" button) or call Grace with the South Bay Environmental Services Center at 310.371.7222, x206.Refreshments are served (lite breakfast/lunch).

The classes are taught by Green Gardens Group (G3) and are the first step in a program of classes, Hands-On Workshops and barn-raising-type GAP Workdays. The classes are comprehensive and integrate several key components for developing a successful garden, focusing on:

• understanding the watershed we live in
• creating healthy soil
  
• capturing and utilizing rain water and preventing runoff
  
• letting leaves land where they fall (why they call them "leaves," eh)
• utilizing native and climate appropriate plants to restore urban wildlife habitat
• ...and, without mowing & blowing & trimming all the time, having a little more time to enjoy the garden