Dozens of school staff, students, parents and community partners turned out in October for the dedication of a new 1,500-square-foot all-native garden at Pinewood Avenue Elementary School in Tujunga. The garden honors Senator Carol Liu, a professed champion for children and the environment.

“I am honored that my staff and constituents thought to commemorate my work in a way that creates ongoing value to the 25th District,” said Sen. Liu, who learned at the event that the gardens were created in her honor. The senator terms out of office Nov. 30 after 14 years in the state legislature.

The Pinewood Legacy Garden transforms a highly visible, barren expanse of dirt at a TK–5 school into vibrant garden space to learn, teach and enjoy. Bountiful native foliage and the birds and butterflies it attracts now greet students as they traverse the Pinewood campus. Two play-friendly, water-wise California native grasses border a walkway that leads to a seating area cooled by fruit-bearing pomegranate, Fuji apple and clementine trees.

“Beautiful space not only helps students learn and bounce back from stress, it gives communities a sense of value,” said Patrizia Puccio, principal at Pinewood Avenue Elementary School. “We are very excited about this positive addition to our school and community.”

“School gardens have been shown to improve school-wide academic achievement and student health, and they are wonderful places to educate the community about the environmental impact of our landscapes,” added Vickere Murphy, Sen. Liu’s GREEN21 program manager.

The gardens will host more than recess. Beyond the Bell/LA’s BEST After School Enrichment Program and teachers will use garden curricula designed by the Theodore Payne Foundation.

“These gardens are a vivid example of the value of expanded learning, a concept championed by both L.A.’s BEST and Senator Liu,” said Debe Loxton, chief operating officer, L.A.’s BEST. “In addition to traditional classroom instruction, Pinewood students learn about math, science, biology, geology and nutrition in an experiential, hands-on environment.”

In addition to water-wise native foliage, the garden contains water-saving infrastructure, including a bioswale designed to direct and infiltrate water and a low-flow, subsurface drip irrigation system. Due to these climate-wise approaches, the new garden is expected to reduce school water and operational expenses.

During the event, parents also re-dedicated a pomegranate tree that was moved to the garden’s new orchard. The national tree of Armenia, the pomegranate commemorates the Armenian genocide.

“Landscapes can be powerful tools for social change, and it is an honor to provide Tujunga’s kids with the kind of space that facilitates learning and resilience,” said Cassy Aoyagi, president of FormLA Landscaping and the Theodore Payne Foundation. “The legacy garden also gives the community experience with a lush landscape that saves water, time and money.”

The Pinewood Legacy Garden is a joint effort between Pinewood Elementary, LA’s BEST/Beyond the Bell after-school enrichment program, L.A. Unified School District, Northeast (LAUSD), FormLA Landscaping and the Senator’s GREEN21 program. The project received material donations from Ewing Irrigation of Glendale, Netafim, and funding from Maria Mehranian and SoCalGas.

Learn more at LAschoolgardens.com.