Since City Plants was awarded the LA2050 grant in July 2021, we have made big strides in achieving our goal of creating an urban ecological laboratory and training grounds, where trees are grown, people are trained, and a city is transformed. In partnership with the Department of Recreation and Parks, LA Department of Water and Power, the LA Parks Foundation, and the LA Conservation Corps (LACC), City Plants has been transforming the Griffith Park Commonwealth Wealth Nursery into a hub for urban greening, green workforce development, community organizing and education through the growing and distribution of locally sourced, climate-ready trees.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

With the support of LA2050, we've been able to hit the ground running as we develop a fully-fledged nursery in accordance with state standards for nursery best management practices. One thing is certainly clear: We would not be where we are without the support of LA2050, the Dept. of Recreation and Parks, LADWP, experts, city staff, volunteers, and supporters. We've continued to care for nearly 7,000 tree saplings, many of which are almost ready to be planted throughout Los Angeles. Check out this article in Eastsider LAhighlighting our ambitious work onsite!

(Top: Original terraces in the nursery space; Bottom: Current terraces in the nursery space)

Starting as a largely “bare-bones" space, the nursery today is blossoming. The Dept. of Recreation and Parks helped us level the site and terraces, and we recently put down new weed barrier cloth, erected new nursery tables, and attempted to build a greenhouse. Thanks to Angel City Lumber, we were also able to commemorate the site with two beautiful hand-crafted benches made out of felled Los Angeles trees. In August of 2021, we hosted dedicated volunteers from the LA5 Rotary Club Sustainability Team, and they helped us shift stock and clean the terraces onsite.

(Top: Volunteer laying weed barrier on the nursery terraces; 2nd: RAP leveling/grading space; 3rd: Volunteer event with LA5 Rotary Club in August; Bottom: Angel City Lumber installing benches)

In addition to the improvements of the physical space and structure of the nursery, our Nursery Manager, Amanda Bashir, has been collecting locally sourced seeds from trees throughout the Los Angeles area. Within a few short months, we have collected an estimated 5,000 locally sourced seeds and have begun the process of propagating fifteen tree species for our LADWP free tree program and the Dept. of Recreation and Parks.These developments would not have been possible without the support of Leon Boroditsky, Tree Surgeon with the Dept. of Recreation and Parks, who took us on a tour of LA's original arboretum in Elysian Park and shared his knowledge on tree identification and seed collection. We're also grateful to the Theodore Payne Foundation, CA Botanical Gardens, North East Trees, and TreePeople for sharing their extensive expertise as we continue to learn about nursery production and seed stewardship.

(Amanda Bashir collecting and preparing seeds; a newly “adopted" Desert Willow, grown in the nursery)

(Leon Boroditsky, Tree Surgeon Supervisor II with the Dept. of Recreation and Parks giving the City Plants and LA Conservation Corps team a tour of the Elysian Park Arboretum, a promising site for seed collection)

Sowing Seeds: Looking Ahead

We're eager to continue growing and building to bring the full vision for the nursery to fruition. This year, we hope to install an onsite office unit and greenhouse and pilot a workforce development curriculum, creating a pipeline connecting young adults and Angelenos to urban greening careers. We are grateful for the burgeoning partnerships and cross-pollination at Commonwealth Nursery, and we look forward to the work ahead.

(California black walnut, Juglans californica, trees donated by CA Botanical Gardens to the Commonwealth Nursery )

If you wish to learn more about City plants – or order free trees for your street or yard – visit us here at our website!