Other Recent Articles


The Green Heart of Oakland for Fifty Years

Discover the hidden jewel in the city of Oakland,
a seven-acre collection of themed gardens.

The Gardens are open daily:
9am - 6pm (Spring, Summer, Fall)
9am - dusk (Winter)
Entry is free!

666 Bellevue Ave, Oakland, California
Read more about the gardens...
View map, directions, and parking info...

Connect with us

facebookGoogle+twitterflickryoutube

Log Your Volunteer Hours

Visit the OurVolts website here and then click the specific garden listed on the right of the OurVolts group page to log your hours.

Tracking your volunteer hours helps the Gardens apply for much needed grants and funding opportunities.

Sign-up for our Newsletter


If you would like to receive our email newsletter, please subscribe here.

Donate Now!

NOTE: You'll be making a secure tax-deductible donation through the website "Causes" to the Friends' fiscal agent "Oakland East Bay Garden Center Inc." Your donation will be under the campaign "Support the Gardens at Lake Merritt". The Causes site permits donors to share news about their giving on Facebook, but you needn't be a Facebook user, or even logged into Facebook to use the form. You can make the donation anonymously, if you wish!

News & Events, Volunteer Activities - May 22, 2013 12:34 - 1 Comment

Join us as a Volunteer Ambassador on Love Our Lake Day 6.9.13

Love Our Lake Day flyer

 

Love Our Lake Day is taking place on Sunday, June 9 from 11am to 4pm at Lake Merritt, Lakeside Park and in the surrounding Oakland neighborhoods. Oaklanders and visitors alike are invited to come play in the car-free streets & parks surrounding Lake Merritt and celebrate the area’s transformation through Measure DD!

On Love Our Lake Day, we will be expecting lots of visitors here at the Gardens at Lake Merritt, and we need 8 – 12 Volunteer Ambassadors to welcome our guests. If you would like to join the fun, please send us an email and include your contact information and the times you are available to volunteer with us.

Some additional event info:

The festive event will enrich three miles of car-free streets with recreation and cultural activities for the entire family. At 2pm Mayor Jean Quan will be at the south end of the lake for the Grand Opening of Lake Merritt Boulevard featuring a beautiful new amphitheater and four-acre park. There will be live entertainment by Oakland artists, children’s activities, Oakland food trucks, and information booths and photographs highlighting the many transformative projects brought about by Measure DD, the voter-approved bond for Clean Water & Safe Parks.

The event is presented by the City of Oakland, Walk Oakland Bike Oakland (WOBO) and the Measure DD Community Coalition. For more information about the event, visit LoveOurLakeDay.com or call (510) 444-CITY.

More In News & Events


Mediterranean - Feb 13, 2013 6:30 - 3 Comments

Sheet Mulching Magic

Article by Tricia Christopher, Landscape Architect and Designer of the Mediterranean and Sensory Gardens

Weeds…. they can be overwhelming this time of year due to spring rains and warming weather. Don’t despair! You can win the battle of the weeds without resorting to deadly chemicals or furious digging and yanking. A weed-fighting method called “sheet mulching” works in harmony with nature; weeds disappear while soil improves at the same time.

How does it work? The weeds are literally smothered and not allowed to see the light of day. Layers of compostable materials (such as newspaper or cardboard, compost and wood chips) are piled on top of the weeds. Then the naturally occurring microorganisms and worms in the soil below do the magical job decomposing the weeds.

With time, the mulch layers break down and provide organic material and nutrients to the soil. Thus, sheet mulching not only gets rid of weeds, it also improves the soil fertility and helps a happy community of earthworms keep the soil aerated.

In contrast, digging out weeds disrupts the soil’s natural ecosystem and destroys earthworm tunnels. Spraying with herbicides adds environmentally questionable chemicals to the garden. Sheet mulching works with nature rather than against it. 

Sheet mulching is simple and inexpensive, just follow the steps below:

  1. Dampen whole sections of newspaper or flattened cardboard boxes by placing in a large bucket or play pool filled with water. Remove and place directly on weeds, overlapping for complete coverage. Another alternative is to use cardboard sold in rolls, using at least 2 to 3 layers; spray cardboard with water to dampen after rolling out.
  2. Spread a  4” to 6” layer of mulch over the newspaper/cardboard.  The mulch can consist of wood chips or a combination of weed-free compost and wood chips. Wood chips can often be found for free from a local tree company.
  3. Plant new plants by cutting holes through the newspaper/cardboard.  Replace mulch around plants, but don’t smother them! Hold the mulch a couple of inches away from the base of the plant. If large plants are being used (such as 5 gallon cans and larger), it is best to plant them first, and then sheet mulch around them. Try to keep soil under the sheet mulching so weed seeds will be smothered.
  4. The weeds will naturally bio-degrade within a month or two. The wood chips or compost can be replenished annually as needed. Subsequent weeding is much easier as the soil becomes looser and more organic.The sheet mulching technique was used in both the Mediterranean Garden and the Sensory Garden in The Gardens at Lake Merritt with great success:

     Before Sheet Mulching: Dense weeds covered the Mediterranean Garden site.

     

     Dampened cardboard was placed in layers over the planting beds.

    Drip irrigation tubing was installed on top of the cardboard.

     

    Compost and wood chips were placed over newspaper layers at the Sensory Garden.

     Holes were dug through the layers for new plants.

     

    The completed Mediterranean Garden 1-1/2 years later.Weeds are still suppressed by sheet mulching and the plants are flourishing

    You’ll find Tricia Christopher in the Mediterranean Garden most work party days (the first and third Saturdays of every month). She’s happy to answer your questions about Mediterranean gardening and/or visit her website http://www.tchristopher.com/

More In Mediterranean


Sensory, Volunteer Activities - Oct 24, 2012 12:45 - 0 Comments

Youth Improving Their Community

Oakland Tech Volunteers  Thank you Oakland Tech InterAct Club. A  pleasure being in the Gardens with you. Great job in the Sensory Garden, removing the early fall weeds before the rains, deadheading the mint, sage and germander and preening the camellias for winter beauty by removing spider webs, leaves and dust from the summer. Thank you very much for your care of this lovely garden. Please visit your garden often.

More In Sensory