certificate<\/a> presented during their regular meeting Tuesday, April 21.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MB-Botanic-Garden-proclamation-2.jpg\")
Gretchen Renshaw, co-founder and president of the Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden, with a proclamation presented by Manhattan Beach Chamber CEO Jill Lampkin. Photo by Nikki Yunker<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what Manhattan Beach is about, this is all of you putting your touch on our community and bringing joy and love,\u201d Councilmember Nina Tarnay said at the anniversary celebration.<\/p>\n
Henry Houser, field representative for State Senator Ben Allen, emphasized the importance of the Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden and the people who work there.<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially thinking statewide right now about the issues we\u2019re having with water conservation and fire prevention, it\u2019s so important to spread the word about our native plants,\u201d Houser said.<\/p>\n
The garden\u2019s native plants do not need pesticides or fertilizers, and instead thrive on organic mulch that breaks down over time to provide nourishment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a demonstration of gardening you can do at your own home to be more environmentally friendly, to take care of pollinators, wildlife, and save water,\u201d Renshaw said. \u201cWe are the very model of sustainability.\u201d<\/p>\n
The garden irrigates year-round with recycled water to keep its plants green, and as a result, its golden California poppies are always in bloom.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t expect poppies to be blooming all year,\u201d Renshaw said.<\/p>\n
The few non-natives in the garden include Mediterranean rosemary, laurels, and an Australian pink melaleuca tree.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the 25th anniversary, volunteers Charlotte Marshall and Julie Gonella created fact placards on about 25 different topics that hang on the melaleuca tree and along fencing.<\/p>\n
Charlotte Marshall, vice president of the garden\u2019s board of directors, said it\u2019s a great place to relax among wildlife and nature.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou come sit in the garden, look at the birds feeding each other and the flowers, and it\u2019s like a breath of fresh air and it totally changes your perspective on life,\u201d Marshall said.<\/p>\n
Marshall also enjoys the soothing sounds of its \u201ccrown jewel\u201d waterfall built with 25 tons of rock. The waterfall provides aerated water for pollinators and other animals.<\/p>\n
Mike Garcia, a founding member of the garden and owner of Enviroscape LA, volunteered to install the irrigation and water system.<\/p>\n
Garcia said using native plants instead of ornamental grass eliminates the need for synthetic fertilizers, which harm the ocean.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe simplest thing you could do to help the planet is not wait every four years to vote, but today go to a nursery, buy a native plant and plant it,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n
Marshall added that it\u2019s not enough to plant native plants. They need to be cared for as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have people like Mike, and myself who are passionate about this whole thing.This is one thing we can do to help save the planet,\u201d Marshall said.<\/p>\n
Renshaw said the garden\u2019s largest exoenses are insurance and plants, and that its funding comes from its membership program and community donations. Chevron is its largest donor.<\/p>\n
Renshaw said the oil and gas company has donated $5,000 or more to the Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden each year since the garden was first proposed to the city council.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wouldn\u2019t be here without their support,\u201d Renshaw said.<\/p>\n
The garden is free to the public and open daily from dawn to dusk. People aged 18 years and older are welcome to volunteer at the garden Fridays from 9:30-11:30 a.m.<\/p>\n
Marshall added that the garden\u2019s shaded deck is a great spot to watch Manhattan Beach\u2019s annual \u201cConcerts in the Park,\u201d which are every Sunday from 5-7 p.m., starting July 5 until Sept. 6. ER<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"by Nikki Yunker Birds, butterflies and bumble bees joined local leaders and community members in recognizing the 25th…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":258478,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[75,84,83,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-258477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-manhattan","tag-manhattan","tag-manhattan-headlines","tag-manhattan-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258477\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/258478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MB-Botanic-Garden-save-3.jpg\")
The Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden is hidden away in the southwest corner of Polliwog Park. Photo by Nikki Yunker<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MB-Botanic-Garden-ribbon-cutting-2.jpg\")
Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden volunteers celebrate the garden\u2019s 25th anniversary.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MB-Botanic-Garden-bee-3.jpg\")
Poppies bloom year \u2019round in the park. Bees pollinate 75 to 150 flowers a date<\/p>\n