Coastkeeper GardenThe 2.5 acre Coastkeeper Garden is adjacent to the Santiago Canyon College campus in the City of Orange. This unique, sustainable garden hosts plants from six southern California native habitats as well as drought-tolerant plants. The Garden incorporates six California Friendly® vignettes (garden rooms) into “backyard” landscapes that harmonize with the native plant habitat throughout the Garden.

On Saturday, Janice, Kyleigh and I went to Coastkeeper Garden for the first time.

Kyleigh was there to help a Senior Girl Scout earn her Gold Award and two other seniors earn class credit for planning a curriculum for teaching about gardening.  Although, it was fairly well publicized, only two girls showed up.  They planted tomato and pea seeds to take home and learned about the parts of a plant.  

Planting tomatoes & peas

"Planting" a lima bean

Displaying their work (Kyleigh already put away her worksheet)

Kyleigh and her friend

Then the other little girl needed to leave, so it was just Kyleigh and the three older girls.  We got to taste various herbs and Kyleigh helped prepare the pots for planting and plant them on an herb spiral.

Displaying the herbs to be planted

Removing the wrappers from the herbs

The Herb Sprial

Placing the herbs on the sprial

These next pictures are of the planting of the herbs.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of Kyleigh climbing the cage like a monkey to get from one plant to another.

They also planted herbs on the outside of the spiral.

Then it was time for the tour.  We got to eat kumquats off this tree.  You eat the whole fruit skin and all.  They also start out sour and then turn sweet.

 There was also a playground made of natural materials. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Finally, a picture of Kyleigh and the senior Girl Scouts that put on the program.

 

Kyleigh had a lot of fun and has already decided she wants to go back so she can check out the herbs she planted and play on the playground.