How artist’s idea flowers into reality
What would Los Angeles look like if it were a landscape of ever-changing native plants instead of one composed of evergreen lawns and shrubs?
L.A. artist Fritz Haeg set out to help people visualize Southern California this way.
“In Los Angeles, we’ve tended to promote landscapes that look the same all the time,” Haeg says. “Not only the same within radically different landscapes from the coast to the desert but also looking the same throughout the year.”
Last October, Haeg launched Wild-flowering L.A. Working with the Los Angeles Nomadic Division, or LAND, he recruited participants to plant wildf lowers on 50 diverse, viewable sites countywide. The Theodore Payne Foundation gave growers native plant seed mixes specific to their area and offered advice on soil preparation and planting.
As the wildflowers germinated in the fall, grew in winter and bloomed in spring (and continue to bloom), the project was documented on social media (#wildfloweringla) and on Wildflowering.org. When the plants dry up this summer, their seeds will be collected and shared.
The story of Wildf lowering L.A. will be on view today and Sunday in an exhibition at the Shed in Pasadena. Visitors can take a “walking tour” of the sites on a 40-by-50-foot interactive f loor map with fresh wildflower cuttings and other materials. Garden experts will give talks, and there will be nature-based activities for children.