GUERRILLA GARDENS: BEAUTIFY OUR HOOD
Color & Light Co. commits a portion of our time, energy, and resources to beautify spaces underserved areas and small businesses .
Sago & Yucca Palm,
& Concrete Pieces
(year 1) We built this bed for a single family unit in the Uptown projects of New Orleans: the Yucca Palms were repurposed from a pruning job, & the Sago Palm was harvested from a demolished building site.
Pre-existing Ferns & Natives,
Selectively Weeded & Boreded
(year 1) This site in the 7th ward had 3 different types of ferns, and even a tobacco plant! We chose to remove some species in order for the ferns and some choice natives to thrive.
Transcendia under Crape Myrtle
Mulched & Bordered w/ Brick
(year 1) Mimicking the botanical styling of high-end areas in New Orleansd, we used our inventory of green Transcendia to plant underneath this Cape Myrtle. This install is an experimentaiming to deter littering by filling empty the space with color & life.
Home School Garden Project
Color & Light Co. is grateful for the opportunity to bring a bloomscape to to the underserved side of Jackson Avenue.
The garden space is 1,350 square feet and is located directly in front of the home-school. The soil composition consists mainly of a sand/clay loam, with patches of dark and potentially fertile soil from the horticultural initiatives of the site’s last owners
Amaru Come Unity Home School is located in New Orleans, Louisiana, near the intersecting streets of S Liberty Street and Jackson Avenue. The school teaches all subjects to children from ages 7- 10 years old, and specializes in holistic learning methods with a Charter School curriculum structure. East of the upper-class Garden District, the school’s location is in a geographical grey area, where a great deal of historically underserved communities have made their homes. In New Orleans, there is a stark contrast in botanical life when comparing the cityscapes of the upper and lower class areas, and the average person is often unaware of the impact that our physical environment has on our mental well-being; affecting our drive, courtesy, and our conception of our place in the community.
. Design projections include:
- Ultimately create a safe and inspiring space for all outdoor activities related to the school and its extra-curricular activities.
- Create a space where the children can learn regenerative garden practices like foraging for mulch, building and maintaining compost piles (food & non-food), propagating plant species from cuttings, and seed saving.
- Develop several in-ground beds constructed by perennial plant species plots ; annual beds for the home-school operator’s favorite seasonal crops and/or flowers.
- Build a living veil of tall species to veil the garden space from the pedestrian traffic that passes by regularly.
- Install drip irrigation system to make post-install maintenance easy for the home-school operator.
Site Plan
The site's history includes food production and compost piles in the east/southeastern region. The living veil is aimed to consist of perennial and evergreen species; frost resistant varieties that thrive in hardiness zones with a similar heat index as New Orleans.
