Garden Development

History

The La Loma Native Garden idea began in 2016. Area resident, Rhonda Allen met with staff from the City of Modesto to discuss improving the land strip along Encina Avenue to make it more usable and attractive for the neighborhood. The land is primarily city owned, and they saw a benefit in the neighborhood making improvements to the area. A meeting was held with city officials and neighborhood residents to discuss the overall plan for development. The idea for a native garden walk was decided upon as a cost effective way to improve the area, with the use of drought tolerant plants to showcase water conservation landscaping and providing habitat for pollinators and wildlife. The city agreed to provide water to the garden and install valley oak trees. The neighborhood leaders signed an MOU with the City of Modesto in March of 2017, agreeing to maintain the area and be responsible for costs of developing the garden. On April 8, 2017, the first large planting of the garden began with volunteers on Love Modesto Day. A second planting was done in October 2017. An official ribbon cutting ceremony was conducted on Nov. 19, 2017 with city leaders, supporters and the community. The garden continues to develop thanks to supporters in the community.

Who Helped to Get it Done

The first important contribution to the garden came from William Hysell. He brought in a tractor to contour and shape the land into a garden.

He also was responsible for trenching the ground to lay irrigation pipes. He donated his time to making the vision come to life.