It was a picture-perfect spring morning in WeHo, and the City did what it does well — the small stuff that adds up. In this case, six trees went into the ground Saturday morning on a parkway on Dorrington Avenue in WeHo West. No fancy ribbon cutting or ceremony. Just a feel-good event that did some actual good.
Meister: “I don’t have a green thumb like our staff does”
Councilmember Lauren Meister talked about actually having one of the species being planted today in her own front yard, except…
“It doesn’t look as good,” Meister said. “I don’t know why. Obviously, I don’t have a green thumb like our staff does. But I’m working on it.”
Meister has long been a champion of the green. Today’s event can be traced back to one of the initiatives she pushed during her council tenure. It was a tree canopy policy requiring trees to be replaced when removed for development. Not sure why, but apparently, getting it passed wasn’t that simple. “Believe it or not, it wasn’t the easiest thing to get through,” Meister said. “But we got it through. So I’m very proud of it, and very proud to have as many trees as possible in our bare city of West Hollywood.”
The City’s tree supervisor
Sam Estrada, the City’s Urban Forest and Landscape Maintenance Supervisor, also shared a few words. He said the chance to improve a neighborhood corner is something he takes personally.
“Being able to enhance a small section in a neighborhood is actually an honor and a privilege,” Estrada said. “We’re really just trying to promote wildlife, shared spaces, save spaces, and shade.”
He encouraged attendees to grab free plants and tress from the flatbed cart before leaving. Lavender starters and ground cover. Free. “Take a plant, plant something,” Estrada said. “That’s all I ever was thinking.”
What was planted
Two species were selected for this year’s planting: the Western Redbud and the Desert Willow. Six trees total, going into the parkway strip along the cul-de-sac.
The Western Redbud is native to California, Arizona, and Utah. It produces showy purple blooms and can be trained as a single- or multi-trunk tree. Drought tolerant, though it grows more vigorously with regular deep watering. Blooms best in full sun.
The Desert Willow is native to Western North America. Lavender and purple flowers, fragrant. Its bark starts smooth and becomes fissured as it ages. Highly drought tolerant. Only needs occasional deep watering.
Both species are deciduous. Both will grow to a maximum height of 20 to 25 feet.
Volunteers in “Plant More Trees” shirts handled most of the digging alongside City staff and contractors.
It’s Earth Month. What better way to celebrate than by getting outside and seeing just how green that green thumb of yours really is? FWIW, as I was writing this I stopped to ask where the heck did the expression “green thumb” come from? It looks like it comes from English gardening tradition. Someone who tends plants enough gets greenish stains on their thumb from clay pots and algae. A mark you earned. Meister is still working on hers. I’m heading back out to work on mine. Happy planting!
Beautiful new trees and a good turnout to support and enhance our green spaces in WeHo 🌳