The Daily Dig

Not only does The Garden Geek like to discover unusual plants and gardens, we also love finding out about other garden geeks who are out making a difference in their neighborhoods. So from time to time when the opportunity presents itself, we will take the time highlight one of these outstanding individuals and share them with everyone in the hopes that it will inspire others to do the same.

This post is all about Lisa Lemus, an avid gardener and garden geek :) in Northern California's City of Oakland and her work in William Wood Park.
Over the years Lisa could always be found working in her beautiful yard and garden amazing all her neighbors and friends with her beautiful plantings. She seems to have a special spot in her gardening heart for California natives, Salvias and other drought tolerant plants. While her efforts in her home garden certainly qualify her to be classified as a garden geek, it is her work in a local park that seals her spot as a true garden geek.

Wood Park has been, and is now the focus of her attention. It's a beautiful neighborhood park located in the bottom of a long narrow valley of Sausal Creek, from the hills east of Oakland through a steep, narrow, well-wooded cañon, a quarter of a mile below the hills and is sheltered from the prevailing northwest winds. With its altitude being 125 feet above sea level, it is rarely visited by fog. The soil is very rich, and the vegetation consequently abundant.
The creek meandered through the park but has since been straightened and culveded, spoiling the riparian habitat and breaking ecological connectivity. The park is ringed with huge oaks, laurel alder, redwood and buck-eye trees, a beautiful setting indeed.

However, the small hill the surrounds one side of the park opposite the creek, and the former creek bed has fallen prey to scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) and other invasive non-native plants and have plagued the park for years, it is here that Lisa has done so much for the park and all those who enjoy it.
Lisa has been successfully organizing a neighborhood group that meets nearly once a month for a weekend clean up, rolling up their sleeves and pulling out the invasive non-naives and restoring the area to it's natural state. This work is difficult at best, but there is a great since of pride and satisfaction by all who participate, which is clearly evident by the fact that the same group returns time and time again and their numbers keep growing. Others that are not able to physically help donate their green waste cans, or cook dishes for the organized potluck lunch for everyone to enjoy.

The feeling here is that everyone in this neighborhood is extremely grateful for all of Lisa's hard work and dedication to making this park a wonderful place for everyone to enjoy.

So to Lisa Lemus and her team of supporters, Our hats here at The Garden Geek are off to you and all you do.
May you be an inspiration to all that know your story.