Shawn Maestretti discusses the value of native plants at the Hahamongna Native Plant Nursery on Wednesday. Photo by Matthew Karanian
Wooly Bluecurls, a small shrub that is native to southern California, in full bloom at the Hahamongna Native Plant Nursery. Photo by Robert Kurkjian
The Arroyo Seco Foundation and Pasadena Power and Water partnered to co-host their first “Native Nights” event of the summer on Wednesday in the garden of the Hahamongna Native Plant Nursery in Pasadena. The nursery is a community-based non-profit project of the Arroyo Seco Foundation.
More than fifty members of the community participated in the event, which was free and open to the public.
“Native Nights” is a series of presentations and workshops that help the community learn about native plants, and their importance to pollinators, birds, and the ecosystem. The first workshop focused on building soil health for native plants, and was presented by Shawn Maestretti, a landscape architect, and Leigh Adams, an eco-sensitive designer and educator.
Robert Kurkjian, the President of the Arroyo Seco Foundation, said the Native Nights series is an opportunity for the community to learn more about the importance of native plants to the local ecology. “Native plants are drought tolerant. But they also play a vital role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem,” said Kurkjian.
Additional presentations are planned throughout the summer at the Hahamongna Native Plant Nursery, and will focus on native plants, garden design, conservation, and biological diversity. For more information about upcoming events, visit PWPweb.com/events or visit the Instagram and LinkedIn pages of the Arroyo Seco Foundation, or stop by at the Hahamongna Native Plant Nursery, which is open to the public from 9 am to 3 pm, Wednesday through Sunday.
Members of the community gather in the garden of the Hahamongna Native Plant Nursery in Pasadena to participate in the first “Native Nights” event about native ecosystems. Photo by Matthew Karanian
The Hahamongna Native Plant Nursery is tucked away in a corner of the Hahamongna Watershed Park, located near the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory at 4550 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, Calif. To contact us, please email nursery@arroyosecofoundation.org. To make a donation by check, please mail us at: Arroyo Seco Foundation, PO Box 91622, Pasadena, California 91109.
