Building a resilience garden: �_�Transforming an unused lawn into a native plant community space. �

Team: Adriane Jones, Ph.D. (Biology), and John Deeb (Director of Facilities).

Students: Samantha Chajon (Biology and Art), Deanna Solorzano (Biochemistry), Michelle Tran (Biology), Andrea Garcia (Biology)

​

Mount Saint Mary’s University of Los Angeles

ajones@msmu.edu

​

Pando 22 Probing for Land Resilience: Employing a data-driven approach to advocate for the replacement of traditional landscaping with native plants.

Rendering by Samantha Chajon

Pando 22 Probing for Land Resilience: Employing a data-driven approach to advocate for the replacement of traditional landscaping with native plants.

Issue: Imagining and Creating a resilient and sustainable campus �

• Los Angeles County Sustainability Goals https://ourcountyla.lacounty.gov/plan
• Goal 1: Resilient and healthy community environments where residents thrive in place.
• Goal 5: Thriving ecosystems, habitats and biodiversity.
• MSMU Strategic Plan and Campus Sustainability Goals
• In 2022, we pledged to participate in the Pope’s Laudato Si’s commitment to sustainability and environmental justice. https://www.laudatosi.org/dialogue/sustainable-universities/
• Climate Change
• Drought
• California has been in a drought for most of the last 25 years.
• Santa Monica mountains has an average annual rainfall of ~15 inches/year (1933-2021) and yet has received less than average (less than 10 in/yr) for the last 16 of 25 years.
• Wildfire.
• Getty fire in 2019 caused significant damage to the Chalon campus, including the surrounding hillsides. Students were evacuated and the community did not return to campus for 2.5 months.

​

Issue: Imagining and Creating a resilient and sustainable campus �

Native Plants need up to 80% less water compared to grass

Increase local Biodiversity

Provide food and shelter to native pollinators

​

Hummingbird trumpet (Epilobium canum)

Hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea)

White sage (Salvia apiana)

Involve the Campus Community: Facilities management oversees landscaping. Cooperate to identify actionable areas for land transformation. ��

• Environmental Club on campus
• MSMU Facilities
• Finley’s Landscaping

​

Data-Informed Decisions: Use environmental sensors to characterize the microclimate�

​

​

Data-Informed Decisions: Use environmental sensors to characterize the microclimate�

​

​

Rain Event

Advocate: To decision makers on campus and the campus community�

​

​

Next Steps�

• Lawn and Water intensive area is going to be removed in December during winter break
• Install dip irrigation instead of sprinklers
• Students are working with a landscape architect to design the layout and choose the plants
• Students will plant native and drought tolerant plants in the spring.

​

• Students will continue to use sensors to collect data on water usage
• Students are working on signage that will inform the community
• Water use
• Benefits of Native Plants

Coast Silktassel (Garrya elliptica)

• Native to coastal California and Southern Oregon.
• 6-16 ft by 6-10 ft
• Winter bloom, evergreen shrub
• Water max 3x a month
• Hosts the white-lined sphinx moth

https://calscape.org/Garrya-elliptica-(Wavyleaf-Silktassel)

Monterey Carpet

(Arctostaphylos hooker)

• California native, drought tolerant
• ~1 ft tall
• Spring and winter blooming
• Irrigate every 1x a month
• Good under trees (Pine, oak) and can make a cascade effect if planted along the edge

​

https://www.calfloranursery.com/plants/arctostaphylos-hookeri-monterey-carpet

Seaside Daisy or beach aster (Erigeron glaucus)

• Native to Oregon and Cali coast
• 1 ft by 2 ft. Evergreen perennial
• Winter, spring, and summer bloom
• Irrigate 1x month
• Supports orange tortrix moth

https://calscape.org/Erigeron-glaucus-(Seaside-Fleabane)

Coyote Mint (Monardella villosa)

• California native
• 2 ft by 3 ft, perennial, evergreen
• Summer blooming, pleasant mint like fragrance
• Hosts 7-10 Moths/butterflies
• Irrigate max 2x a month
• Used as a “remedy for stomach upset, respiratory conditions, and sore throat. It may also be steeped into a mint tea.”

https://calscape.org/Monardella-villosa-()

Cleveland sage (Salvia clevelandii)

• Native to South California and North Baja California
• Size 3-5 ft by 5-8 ft
• Late spring - early summer bloom
• Drought tolerant
• Sage fragrance, sometimes used for tea and to replace european sage.

https://www.gardenia.net/plant/salvia-clevelandii

White Sage (Salvia apiana)

​

• Cornerstone species of the coastal sage scrub habitat of Southern California and Baja California.
• White Sage is deeply rooted in the cultures and lifeways of indigenous communities of Southern California and northern Baja, the only region this sage naturally occurs in the world.��It is also an important food source for bees, butterflies, birds, and other wildlife. Larger bees, notably carpenter bees, are the predominant pollinators of white sage. .https://calscape.org/Salvia-apiana-(White-Sage)?srchcr=sc656a8dd6518a8

Thank you: �_��

MSMU Eco Club

Facilities Management (John Deeb and Crew)

Finley’s Landscaping- John Albright and Liz Duer

Pando Populus Team

Douglas Chang

Eugene Shirley

Lyn Goldfarb

Betsy Hunter