Native Plants and Sculptures Share a Pasadena Street Corner in New City Partnership

Fifty native plants now surround a sculpture at the corner of Bonnie Avenue and Del Mar Boulevard, turning a rotating public art site into an example of art, horticulture and water conservation.

The installation is the first product of a focused partnership between Pasadena’s Planning & Community Development Department and Pasadena Water and Power, which are adding native plant landscaping and water-capture features to public art sites across the city, according to the City Manager’s office.

Each site will feature a different palette of drought-tolerant species — plants that require 60 to 80 percent less water than traditional landscaping, according to the California Native Plant Society — alongside sculptures from the city’s Rotating Public Art Program.

The Bonnie and Del Mar site includes a decomposed granite walking path, a dry riverbed designed to capture stormwater, mulch, and native species including Cleveland Sage, Penstemon, Hollyleaf Cherry, and Howard McMinn Manzanita.

The planting was done by trainees in the city’s MASH program — Municipal Assistance, Solutions, and Hiring — a Housing Department initiative that employs trainees for up to two years while they build skills for permanent careers.

Jennifer Paige, Director of Planning & Community Development, and David M. Reyes, General Manager of Pasadena Water and Power, are leading the collaboration. Reyes, who has championed water conservation through PWP’s Ripple Effect campaign, has urged residents to see themselves as stewards of the city’s water future.

The partnership draws from two programs already embedded in city operations. The Rotating Public Art Program, launched in 2011 by the Cultural Affairs Division, places temporary sculptures at sites in each of Pasadena’s seven council districts for three-year exhibition periods. The program has displayed more than 30 artworks across four series.

The MASH program provides hands-on job training to approximately 45 trainees at a time, with crews performing services including landscaping, house painting, and solar panel installation for low- and moderate-income homeowners across the city.

Homeowners interested in converting their own landscapes can potentially access rebates from PWP. Single-family residential customers receive $3 per square foot for turf replacement, and commercial properties receive $7 per square foot, according to PWP’s website. The utility also offers $100 per tree for up to five trees, and Pasadena residents can receive rebates covering the full cost of rain barrels — up to two per household. All turf replacement projects must include a rainwater capture component such as rain gardens, rain barrels, swales, or graded landscapes.

For more information about PWP’s conservation programs, visit PWPweb.com/TheRippleEffect.

For information about the city’s Public Art Program, contact Corey Dunlap, Public Art Coordinator, Planning & Community Development Department, at CDunlap@CityOfPasadena.net or (626) 744-7547.