SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - In early November, plant enthusiasts and community members gathered to reveal the new educational plaque for the Native Plant Garden at Plaza Cervantes Park. Over seventy neighbors and volunteers attended the ceremony and enjoyed complimentary hot coffee, muffins and treats. 

The new plaque was a combined effort of several community members. Jane Kiser, a Land Park neighbor, was the catalyst for the project when she organized the installation of the new Native Plant Garden last May. The area had become blighted, and Kiser stepped up to change it. She worked with Dave Roberts to help design the space and choose the plants. After the garden was planted, Kiser and several others wanted to add a plaque to help educate visitors on the importance of native plants. She reached out to local businesses and several groups to raise money for the plaque's creation and installation. 

Joe Flores, District 7 Parks Commissioner, worked with Kiser and helped to schedule and organize the event.  

Speakers included Flores, Kiser, Rick Jennings, Anita Clevenger of the Sacramento Perennial Plant Club and Rosanna Herber of SMUD. Other local community gardeners in attendance were Rise Ryan of the Sac Perennial Plant Club and Daisy Mah with the WPA Rock Garden. 

After the speeches, there was a ribbon cutting with the assistance of Girl Scout Troop 1147 and Kiser. Then, guests helped plant ten new trees in Plaza Cervantes Park with the Youth, Parks, and Community Enrichment (YPCE) staff. Rick Jennings also helped his grandkids plant a tree, which the kids decided to name "Tater Tot." 

The trees planted are Zelkova Serrata, or Japanese Zelkova, which are related to elms. These trees are also resistant to Dutch elm disease. They grow quickly and can reach one hundred feet. Full maturity takes around five years. 

The tree planting was part of a continued effort by the Youth, Parks, and Community Enrichment to replace dead or dying trees around Land Park with a healthy, more robust species. 

The Native Plant Garden plaque includes appreciation for local business donors; Dunnigan Realtors, Meet & Eat Restaurant, and Taylors Market. It also thanks the following organizations for their support: Sacrament Perennial Plant Club, Land Park Community Association, Sacramento Youth, Parks, and Community Enrichment, Mayor Steinberg and City Councilman Rick Jennings. 

The Land Park Community Association and planting organizations look forward to 2025. The groups are speaking about collaborating on other gardening projects such as making improvements to the WPA Rock Garden in William Land Park. 

If anyone is interested in supporting the neighborhood beautification efforts or would like to find out more about joining a local gardening group, they can go to Sacramento Perennial Plant Club’s website at sacplants.org and the California Horticulture Society’s website at calhortsociety.org.