"You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt." - Unknown…read more Oh it's so true........growing your own delicious fresh fruits & veggies while watching your magnificent sunflowers become twice as tall as your 5-foot fence..... .....is more than rewarding. Creating a garden keeps me grounded, keeps me centered in the present moment, much like painting used to do. Whenever I spot a community garden space, I always have to stop and take a look. There are rainbows of color & fragrance, butterflies, hummingbirds...... Hummingbirds are said to represent prosperity, and I've been known to make a wish when one hovers nearby. "Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity." ~Lindley Karstens The best stress-reliever is not found on pharmacy shelves. We gain precious perspective when we put our hands into Mother Earth. That's one way we can feel the connection with all that is, was, and ever will be.

The gate is always locked! I need to dig!! Let me in!read more

This is a popular gardening park in Santa Monica CA. It's so popular that there is a 5yr waiting…read morelist to get a plot there. The arrangements and choices and types of plants in each plot makes this park so beautiful .... Flowers, succulents, bush foliage, fruit trees, vegetables and more. Some plots are set up with bistro tables surrounded by beautiful flowers growing around. Others are filled with organically grown vegetables and some plots mixed with both. I loved visiting this garden park.

I took a class with the GrowLA Gardens program that's offered through UCANR. The instructors are…read moreMaster Gardeners, and there are quite a few of them who have plots here. They're extremely well versed in organic gardening here, and I highly recommend taking the course here if possible! A special shout out to Les, Susan, and all the Master Gardeners for sharing their knowledge with a semi-noob! It's a very interesting place, located close to the Santa Monica Airport and the Bundy Campus of Santa Monica College. I drove around this neighborhod for years (work, school, etc.) and never knew it existed! I enjoyed the class and how Ocean View Farms functioned as an open air, living classroom for the topics at hand. The plots are very diverse in character, reflecting their owners' view of organic gardening techniques. I understand it takes a while to get a plot and I already have a garden, but I'd definitely recommend getting on their waitlist if exploring community gardening interests you!

I love this community garden and I can't wait to go back. It's the first one I've seen that draws…read moreso many hummingbirds! And they're not shy around people. You can see them up close. They've done a great job here with pollinator plants and wildflowers. They put up signs so you can learn about some of the plants.

Stumbled upon this shady little park as I headed to my acupuncture appointment. It's on the corner…read moreof Park Drive and Broadway. At the other end is a community garden. This is a no-frills space - no benches, no water fountain - but it's a peaceful oasis amongst some Santa Monica businesses.

The Culver City Garden Club meets the first Tuesday of every month at the Veterans Memorial…read moreBuilding in Culver City and is a cool place to come to meet other people interested in gardening/the environment. Members are from a wide age group, diverse backgrounds, and botanical interests. Some are garden newbies while several are master gardeners. You can come and bring your questions or just to listen to the speaker, all are welcome and meetings are free to guests. Membership is only $12 a year for an individual or $18 a year for a couple so you can't beat that! Most meetings also have a raffle for plants and cuttings from the members' gardens and the show has a FABULOUS raffle of prizes donated by local businesses! They are also on Twitter and Facebook! http://twitter.com/CulverCityGardn http://www.facebook.com/mvanessacoto?v=feed&story_fbid=1324100054965#/pages/The-Culver-City-Garden-Club/252982790841?ref=ts Here's the info from their pamphlet: The Culver City Garden Club was founded in 1953 and was incorporated in California as a not-for-profit organization in 1964. It has Internal Revenue Code 501 (c) (3) non-profit status. Membership is open to anyone interested in plants, gardening and the environment. The Club has more than 100 members ranging in age from 8 to 94 years old. Members live in a wide geographic area and reflect the area's diversity and varied living arrangements. Members include both novice gardeners and experts. The CCGC is a general interest club and does not focus on just one kind of plant or one aspect of gardening. Activities The Club usually meets on the first Tuesday of each month. Most meetings include a "Show, Tell & Ask" session, a speaker presentation, and refreshments. The meetings are free and open to the public, and one needn't be a member to attend. The Club prepares and distributes a Monthly Newsletter with timely garden tips for each month, a calendar of gardening and plant events throughout the Southland and information about the scheduled speaker. We also sponsor a Garden Hop where we visit some members' homes. At least since 1953, the Club's primary public event is its Garden Show, held annually in the Veterans' Memorial Auditorium. Last year, the Show attracted an estimated 400 attendees and more than 250 plants were entered. The Show features a Plant and Flower Exhibition, Gardening Education Workshop and a Plant/Gardening Supplies Sale. Admission is free and always has been.

The Garden Club will host its first meeting of 2012 on Tuesday, Jan. 3, at 7:30PM,…read morein The G2 Gallery, 1503 Abbot Kinney Blvd., @ Millwood Ave., Venice, 90291. This will be our "home" through our March meeting. Our speaker will be Mary Ogren whose topic is "Butterflies in Your Garden". Her garden is a certified Monarch Waystation and Wildlife Habitat. There will be refreshments and a plant "Show, Tell & Ask". The meetings are FREE and all are welcome. See you then and Happy New Year!

Wow, this space is everything I've been looking for. I can't get enough of their amazing programs…read moreand events. I'm back every week for another round and I'm never disappointed.

Amazing community and events! Dr. MagicMike Milane is the best. He brings people together to…read moreinspire hope, connection, peace, love and joy. This is a healing sanctuary with various events such as ecstatic dance, sound baths, acroyoga, Guest speakers, Musical Performances and a very special Sunday service at 11:11am. I love being a part of this sacred community.

YALLLLLL I am disheartened to give this one star but just wanted to warn whoever tries to come…read morevisit. I was looking up gardens to visit in the area and was sooooo excited to find this one here on yelp especially with that single delightfully encouraging review from that nice lady (notably 9 whole years ago) but when I got to the location, the whole garden unfortunately appears to be wiped out and is now just a fenced up space of foliage. I wonder how long ago it was demolished... Very saddened but really hope the community that initially cultivated the past garden is able to cultivate a new one or maybe they've started a new one elsewhere! I just hope they're doing well. Also hope the abandoned space flourishes again one day.

What a beautiful space! I am not afiliated with the garden, I was driving by and pulled over to…read moretext and there was this gorgeous space! See, it pays to pull over to communicate! I got out and poked around a little but I couldn't find anyone to talk to. I snapped a few pictures but we need to hear from someone who knows what the deal is with this garden. It looks like a valuable community resource. What a treat!

*** I admire the work that the Friends are doing. ***…read more FoBW posted an event to tour the wetlands yesterday. I've lived in the area since 2002 but I have never toured. I'm so glad that I did yesterday. It's well worth a 1hr visit. Notes: FoBW offers guided tours for elementary schools Tu and Th. FoBW offers guided tours for middle and high schools M, W, F. FoBW offers guided tours for the public 2nd Sun of every month. *** It's very refreshing to have a slice of nature in the city. ***

My daughter's Brownies troop and myself had the wonderful opportunity of having a guided tour of…read morethe Ballona Wetlands. Our tour guide was Christian. Both he and his lovely assistant were awesome. They kept the girls interested by their enthusiasm and fun demeanor. Binoculars were even provided to the girls for the tour. I myself learned alot! I was totally unaware of this rich piece of nature left in Los Angeles County. I appreciate organization's work on helping to keep this place preserved, as well as educating the public of its existence. Kudos to FBW.