Wildflowering L.A.
Los Angeles County
October 2013 – Spring 2014
ONE DAY ON EARTH DOCUMENTARY ON WILDFLOWERING L.A.
KCHUNG ARCHIVE OF SPRING EXHIBITION 4/26 and 4/27
FOR MORE ONGOING UPDATES, IMAGES, AND INFORMATION ON THIS PROJECT, PLEASE VISIT WILDFLOWERING.ORG
Wildflowering L.A. was a native wildflower seed planting initiative throughout Los Angeles County, begun in October 2013 by artist Fritz Haeg.
Wildflowering L.A. brought a wild and beautiful seasonal native landscape to open plots of land throughout Los Angeles County. 50 sites were selected from an open call based on public visibility and distribution across the county. Owners of selected sites were given free native wildflower seed mixes at workshops in partnership with The Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers & Native Plants. Soil preparation, seeding, and wildflower tending were demonstrated and one of four custom wildflower seed mixes was prescribed – Coastal, Flatlands, Hillside, and Roadside – inspired by Reyner Banham’s 1971 book, Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies. Each of the participating sites was officially identified with a prominent carved wood sign. The project culminated with an exhibition in spring 2014.
“Age-defying thirsty landscapes of clipped evergreen shrubbery and lawns cover this city that supposedly has no seasons, no sense of time, combined with a denial of death and aging. However, the story of the native wildflowers of Los Angeles is more complex, nuanced, localized, and ever-changing. Long-anticipated early winter rains germinate seeds that have been lying in wait, buried in dry soils from the low coasts to the high deserts, from the valley flats to the mountain slopes. Gradual growth with cool temperatures and low sun through winter months give way to an early spring explosion of bright green and rainbow color. The story of the seasons is told by the timing and extent of the bloom in direct proportion to the rainfall, temperatures, and climate. The plants turn a crisp golden brown as the dry summer months return, and the flowers prepare to broadcast their seeds for next year’s story.”
-Fritz Haeg
Wildflowering L.A. was supported by a grant from the James Irvine Foundation.
Suggested maps for peak blooms:
Driving Tour
Biking Tour
PAST PUBLIC EVENTS:
Seed Collection and Film Screening
Sunday, June 15
2-4pm
UCLA Geography Department and Sage Hill, Wildflowering L.A. Site #32
LAND hosted the final spring event of Fritz Haeg‘s Wildflowering L.A., a countywide native seed sowing initiative taking place from October 2013-Summer 2014!
Since the growing season had concluded, LAND invited the public to witness the tail end of the bloom at one of the Wildflowering L.A. sites – Site #32 at UCLA on Sage Hill.
A screening of MOCAtv’s Wildflowering L.A. short video – part of their Artist’s Studio series – took place in the UCLA Department of Geography. Visitors joined LAND to explore the site, collect seeds to take a bit of the project home, and learn about the habitat of SAGE HILL UCLA, a last bit of native land that is extant on the UCLA campus and in the urban Westwood area. Project posters and official project seed mixes were available.
MOCAtv is an online video channel dedicated to contemporary art, with programming and content developed by MOCA | The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.
For more details and directions to the location on UCLA’s campus, visit www.wildflowering.org.
This program was made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs.
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Wildflowering L.A. Exhibition and Public Installation
April 26 and 27, 2014
12-6pm
THE SHED
1355 Lincoln Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91103
A culminating exhibition of Fritz Haeg’s Wildflowering L.A. project, commissioned and organized by LAND (Los Angeles Nomadic Division) took place on Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27, 2014 at THE SHED: Pasadena’s emerging space for urban agriculture, planning, permaculture, and land use by La Loma Development Company.
The exhibition featured flower cuttings and photos fresh from the project sites presented on a vast Los Angeles County map, along with project archives, artist-designed posters, educational activities for all ages, conversations with experts including representatives from the Theodore Payne Foundation and project participants, a live broadcast by KCHUNG, music by Pawing at the Ceiling, seasonal refreshments by Gypsy Eats (Saturday) and Thank You For Coming (Sunday) and more.
The exhibition included:
-Large-scale map installation by Fritz Haeg to visually depict the expanse of the 50 Wildflowering L.A. sites across Los Angeles County with clippings from project participants, projections of site photos, archival materials, and artist-designed posters
-Receptions at 4:30pm daily
-Educational/family activities from 12-5pm for kids (but great for all ages and adults) including sensory stations, flower pressing, seed treasures, printmaking, exquisite corpse, a somatic creative movement class with Maya Gingery, and more
-Conversations at 2pm, 3pm, and 4pm daily with Fritz Haeg and project participants.
Special thanks to:
La Loma Development Company, Sara Abed, Carolyn Gray Anderson, Claudia Borgna, Alex Castellon, Siobhan Feehan, Veronica Franco, Noe Gaytan, Kate Gilbert, Maya Gingery, Jeremy Jarrin, Jamie McAndrews, Kate Parsons, Ernesto Perez, Jamie Shi
KCHUNG’S BROADCAST ARCHIVE for WILDFLOWERING L.A.’s SPRING SHOW
Conversations with Fritz Haeg – Saturday, April 26th
- 2pm: Andy Wilcox, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, Cal Poly Pomona, Sites #37: Cal Poly Pomona and #38: York Blvd. LISTEN
- 3pm: Richard Schulhof, Director, Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Site #22: LA Arboretum LISTEN
- 4pm: Leigh Adams, Sites #13: Westridge School, #14: Pasadena Casting Pond, and #22: LA Arboretum LISTEN
Conversations with Fritz Haeg – Sunday, April 27th
- 2pm: Joan M. Leong, Professor, Biological Sciences Graduate Program, Cal Poly Pomona Pollinators Study LISTEN
- 3pm: Joshua Link, Landscape Architect, Ecotone Studios, Site #47: Eagle Rock Post Office LISTEN
- 4pm: Genny Arnold, Theodore Payne Foundation, Site #21 LISTEN
Plus interviews with LAND staff, Thank You for Coming, Brooke Sauer, and Maya Gingery.
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de LaB Making LA: Wildflowering L.A. Tour
April 10, 2014
6:00 to 8:00 pm
Site #44
478 E. Avenue 28
Los Angeles, CA 90031
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Community Weeding Days
March 1 and 8, 2014
For those who needed help with pesky weeds on their sites or wanted to be a part of the countywide initiative but didn’t have a site of their own, LAND welcomed emails to wildfloweringla@nomadicdivision.org to sign up to receive or give help on community weeding days.
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Wildflowering L.A. Open House
Saturday, February 22, 2014
1am-3pm
Theodore Payne Foundation
10459 Tuxford Street
Sun Valley, CA 91352
LAND, Fritz Haeg, and Theodore Payne Foundation representatives Genny Arnold and Lili Singer were on hand to answer questions, offer advice, and exchange stories about the project. Short native gardening and plant education talks took place, and participants had a chance to walk up to view Theodore Payne Foundation’s Wildflowering L.A. site (Site #21). Light refreshments were served, all ages/
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Participant Workshops
Sunday, October 27, 2013
11am-5pm
Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden
301 North Baldwin Avenue
Arcadia, CA 91007
Saturday, November 2, 2013
11am-5pm
Rancho Cienega Recreation Center
5001 Rodeo Road
Los Angeles, CA 90016
The public was invited to attend one of two horticultural workshops with Fritz Haeg and our partner, the Theodore Paine Foundation For Wildflowers and Native Plants, on Oct. 27th and Nov. 2nd. If interested people did not have land but would like to contribute to growing and caring for a nearby site, we encouraged them to come.
PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS AND SEED MIXTURES:
Custom Wildflowering L.A. seed mixtures inspired by Reyner Banham’s 1971 book, Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies and developed with the Theodore Payne Foundation were “prescribed” to participating land owners based on geography.
Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia (beach suncups)
Eschscholzia californica var. maritima (California coastal poppy)
Gilia capitata (globe Gilia)
Leptosiphon grandiflorus (large flower Linanthus)
Lupinus bicolor (miniature lupine)
Lupinus succulentus (arroyo lupine)
Achillea millefolium (white yarrow)
Clarkia purpurea (winecup clarkia)
Clarkia unguiculata (elegant clarkia)
Eschscholzia californica (California poppy)
Gilia tricolor (bird’s eye Gilia)
Layia platyglossa (tidy tips)
Lupinus truncatus (collared annual lupine)
Stipa pulchra (purple needlegrass)
Clarkia amoena (farewell-to-spring)
Clarkia unguiculata (elegant clarkia)
Eschscholzia californica (California poppy)
Gilia capitata (globe Gilia) Layia platyglossa (tidy tips)
Linum lewisii (blue flax)
Lupinus succulentus (arroyo lupine)
Mentzelia lindleyi (blazing star)
Lasthenia californica (goldfields)
Phacelia minor (California bluebell)
Phacelia tanacetifolia (lacy phacelia)
Amsinckia menziesii (fiddleneck)
Clarkia unguiculata (elegant clarkia)
Eschscholzia californica (California poppy)
Gilia capitata (globe Gilia)
Gilia tricolor (bird’s eye Gilia)
Layia platyglossa (tidy tips)
Lupinus succulentus (arroyo lupine)
Phacelia tanacetifolia (lacy phacelia)