Hi! We are Zoey, Piper, and Isabella from Palisades Charter High School and the Palisades Library Teen Council Board. We all enjoy learning about biology and the world around us. Our favorite things about this TLC project have been the hands-on experience of creating a garden and working in a group to achieve a common goal. Since the pandemic, we believe so much of daily life has gone digital, and we've found that connecting with the outdoors is more important now than ever.
This year, Palisades Library Teens chose to help bring the community together by creating a native plant garden home to various pollinators. We plan to construct a space everyone can enjoy, with benches, walkways, and beautiful scenery. By building this garden, our goal is to inform the public about the importance of native plants and the wildlife they bring. Living in an area where droughts are frequent, California plants are remarkable at adapting to extreme weather conditions, making them a more environmentally friendly choice for our library. Furthermore, we decided that the main focus of our garden will be the pollinators we wish to attract since we want to help them thrive because of their dwindling numbers. We plan to host presenters who can spread knowledge about our garden. In building our project, we have better understood how to create and care for a garden, which we hope can be shared with the community.
Creating a garden is a great way to make healthy, fresh food while providing psychological benefits. A couple of ways to ensure your garden is successful are picking a full sun spot, assembling garden beds for drainage, and choosing the right crops or flowers to succeed in your area. One of the most important parts of having a garden is the upkeep, especially in the beginning. You want to make sure that seedlings get watered twice a day and that you are keeping up with harvesting. Making a garden can seem like a big task, but with the correct information and work, it pays off in the long run.
As a kid, (Piper) I grew up with many outdoor activities, including having and caring for a garden. This was a great activity because I planted flowers and vegetables and saw the results over time. Going into my garden, eating some fresh strawberries, and plucking weeds around my plants was always relaxing. One of my personal goals for this project is to influence others to build a garden, not only to have fresh herbs, flowers, or vegetables but also to help our planet.
When I was younger (Zoey), my elementary school had a garden filled with fruits, vegetables, flowers, and herbs. I remember my class visiting the garden every few weeks and being able to help plant and care for the space. These times I had in the garden are some of my happiest memories. I am so glad I am able to reconnect with my love of planting and the outdoors by creating the Palisades pollinator garden!
Zoey, Piper, and Isabella are members of the Palisades Library Teen Council Board and students at Palisades Charter High School.
—Ziba, Young Adult Librarian, Palisades Branch Library
The Teens Leading Change initiative has funded and launched 52 projects across 60 branches with over 600 participants, including 9 projects across 10 branches that are happening now! Go to lapl.org/teens/tlc for more information.