L.A. River Becomes Group’s Garden Spot

A few days after the dust had settled from the Northridge earthquake, Studio City resident Lynn Marquardt crossed the narrow strip of Valleyheart Drive near Longridge Avenue, climbed the dirt rise to the banks of the Los Angeles River, knelt and planted a flower.

Four years later, that one flower on the hard, rocky soil south of the river has been joined by countless others as Marquardt and a group called Village Gardeners have transformed patches of a desolate, colorless strip of dirt into a small rainbow-colored oasis.

“Something needed to be done around here. The earthquake hit us hard. We needed something beautiful to look at,” said Marquardt, founder and now a board member of a group that boasts about 80 members.

For four years, Village Gardeners has tended half-mile strips on both sides of the river. They have done so despite the lack of a proper irrigation system and despite the thousands of dollars lost to pilfering passersby. They have done so with donations from local businesses and their own money, raised mostly through $15-a-year membership fees.

Now the group is seeking help to finish the transformation of the land it already tends and perhaps extend it a bit. Marquardt said the group has applied for several grants and has discussed the possibility of receiving funds for their project from both the city and county.

“We have something special here, something that belongs to the community. But we need help,” Marquardt said as she knelt amid California poppies, sage, lilies and countless other plants, removing a renegade weed.

The plans for the garden go much further than planting flowers. Marquardt said she would like to see the area become a park, with bicycle paths and painted murals. Getting money has not been easy, but getting volunteers has. On any given day, residents can be seen strolling to the garden with a shovel in one hand and a plant in another. The condominiums along Valleyheart have allowed the group to attach its hoses to their faucets and local businesses have donated flowers and architectural plans for the site.

But with all this good comes some bad: the thieves. Since the garden opened, Marquardt said, plants, hoses and tools have been stolen.

“They keep stealing, but we won’t let them beat us,” she said.

For more information about Village Gardeners, call the group at (818) 981-1606.