Tag: Gardening

Future Gardens of Van Nuys?

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One of the continuing themes of this blog is to look at what we are and imagine what we might be.

I think about that as I walk around Van Nuys, a misbegotten and deformed district.

But also an oddly lucky place where land is abundant and cheaper, yet frequently and usually, neglected and wasted.

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At 14550 Sylvan St., between Van Nuys Blvd. and Vesper, there is now an empty courtyard surrounded by buildings on three sides. They once fixed cars here. This is a street full of fine old buildings, including the former Van Nuys Library (now a law office) and the former post office. There are also small stores: a tailor, a barber, a school, and a storefront church.

This is where a garden belongs.  Buildings are small scale and human, within walking distance of every important building in downtown Van Nuys.

I took photos (with permission) from England. The  ‘London Permaculture’ Flickr page shows urban gardens transforming bleak and hostile spaces into fertile and green growing areas.

Brown brick, beer guzzling, working-class England can be drab, but these gardens are a morale booster for their users.

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Sylvan near Van Nuys Bl.

Our alleys, behind Van Nuys Boulevard, can be fixed up with cafes, bars, trees, plants and lights. Eating, drinking and socializing can replace public urination, rats, tagging and trash.

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14526 Victory near VNB

At 14526 Victory Boulevard, the NCJW (National Council of Jewish Women) has a donation center which again, is a North facing forecourt that would also do nicely as an outdoor beer garden, pocket herb garden, etc.

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Friar St.
Friar St.

At Friar and Van Nuys Boulevard there is a large parking lot, which is across the street from another large parking structure, in an area with too much parking. Why does Van Nuys, in this ramshackle location, with its empty storefronts and dead buildings, need 2,000 parking spaces?

There are wasted opportunities of land and development all over Van Nuys.

We live in an environment built for the lowest common denominator of mediocrity and exploitation.

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West of Van Nuys Blvd. near Hamlin St.

Who can marshall the resources to bring money and planning into Van Nuys?

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Yes We Can Grow It Here in Los Angeles

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From the website of Ron Finley:

“FASHION INNOVATOR. MANIC COLLECTOR. RENEGADE GARDENER. VISIONARY. COMMUNITY ACTIVIST.

Raised in South Central Los Angeles, Ron showed an early passion and talent for fashion, and started his innovative clothing company, The DROPDEAD Collexion, in his family garage. The DROPDEAD Collexion featured Ron’s unique design vision expressed through top quality workmanship and materials. The line was a top seller with high-end retailers such as Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. Ron Finley’s design ingenuity attracted the attention of many celebrities, and he was the go-to designer for several NBA and Hollywood stars, including basketball All-Star Robert Horry. The DROPDEAD Collexion set the standard for the fashion forward.

Ron Finley started collecting Black entertainment memorabilia, both for its preservation and also for a connection to his own history, and now owns one of the premiere collections of this genre. The current exhibition of posters from Ron’s collection, Ron Finley’s Travels Through Blackness: International Movie Poster Design 1920’s to 1970’s, depicts the progression of Black experience in the movie industry. It is an exciting show and generating much interest in the work!

When Ron found that it was impossible to buy healthy produce in his neighborhood he started growing his own! This turned into a passion for the art of gardening and the study of permaculture. As one of the founders of LAGREENGROUNDS.ORG, Ron Finley leads the fight to transform neighborhoods currently identified as “Food Deserts” into “Food Forests.” LAGREENGROUNDS installs gardens in homes throughout South Central Los Angeles free of charge, bringing healthy fruits and vegetables to families in need.”

Succulent Citi at Encino’s Farmers Market

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Wacky results are probable when an Italian-American actor/art model and a free-spirited dancer and choreographer get together to create.

David Mingrino and Tam Warner, my neighbors here in Van Nuys, are now selling Succulent Citi, every Sunday, at the Encino Farmer’s Market on Victory near White Oak.

Thrifty, innovative, artistic, practical and eccentric, the plants are put into a variety of old pots, mustard jars, and vintage pottery.

Succulents are about the most durable plants one can sustain in the San Fernando Valley and unlike flowers, they never seem to die.