Neighbors Plant Urban Orchard On Marmion Way

Peter Bedard's initial plans to beautify a stretch of Marmion Way between Avenues 56 and 57 were modest.

He asked the members of his neighborhood watch to donate $30 to a fund that would go toward purchasing a few small trees--enough to add some charm to area, as well as reduce tagging and provide a food source for Gold Line riders.

However, after those initial plans fell through when Bedard was faced by an unexpectedly steep delivery fee of $500, a much grander effort began to unfold.

On Saturday morning, Bedard and neighbors planted 19 citrus trees--including oranges, grapefruits, lemons and kumquats--all of which were donated for free.

Bedard explained that, through the help of friend and landscape architect Howard Formby, he was able to secure the donations from Norman's Nursery in the San Gabriel Valley.

"Howard's specialty is orchards and meadows, and when he heard I was doing an urban orchard he jumped into action. A friend of his was doing a big job in Beverly Hills and this friend convinced the nursery he was working with to donate the trees," Bedard said. "I was expecting small trees again, but the nursery gave us 19 trees, all 15 gallon sizes, that sell for around $100 a piece!"

Bedard said that he used the money he raised from his neighbors to rent a pickup truck to transport the trees from Beverly Hills to Highland Park. The funds also went toward purchasing soil and helping to defray the cost one neighbor's water bill, whose property is closest to the trees.

With the heavy rains, Bedard said he expected to plant a few trees and then call it day. However, as he and Formby got to work, they noticed that they were gradually attracting a team of eager helpers.

"We only brought five trees with us to plant, thinking the rain was going to make it too hard to do any more. Within the next half-hour a few more neighbors showed up and my neighbor Manny Tena and I had to run back to my house to get more trees. Eventually we had nearly 20 neighbors planting and we got every one of the trees in the ground. Howard taught a quick class on planting and we all learned a little something, too."