Last Saturday, Richmond District Supervisor Eric Mar joined a team of volunteers from grassroots group Greening Geary to clean up some medians and plant eight trees near 14th & 15th Avenues. I’m digging that orange vest!
This was the first planting for Greening Geary, whose goal is restore Geary Boulevard’s long neglected medians between Park Presidio and 32nd Avenue. The group worked with the City’s Department of Public Works and Friends of the Urban Forest to organize their inaugural planting.
If you or your business would like to make a donation to Greening Geary, contact organizers Jean Barish (752-0185) or Cheryl Schultz (831-4229).
Yay to Greening Geary for all their hard work. The medians look so much better!
Sarah B.
Photos by MrCleanSF and Jean Barish.
L to R: Cheryl Schultz, Jean Barish, Catherine Robyns, Greening Geary organizers
I’m glad he is finally doing something useful.
Why are they planting trees when Geary BRT is coming (hopefully, someday) and will be using the center median for bus lanes? Plant some cheap interim landscaping, not trees.
Delightful. Got any “after” pictures?
@mattmatt – Just added some pics to the post this morning from the median near Park Presidio.
Sarah B.
Unfortunately, it looks like they picked DPW’s favorite tree – the Brisbane Box. It’s a terrible choice for a windy east-west street on the west side of the city. The trees will be ratty and windburned within a year, and will likely be dead within four or five. If you want to see how these trees have fared in similar situations, go to Portola Avenue – that street was lined with them in the median, and they’re in sad shape.
I really wish DPW would consider the site when they put trees in medians, and not just go with what’s available and easy.
@Mike, I’m interested to hear about your favorite suggestions for this median. I’d love to see Agonis flexuosa, good ole Metrosideros excelsa, and Corymbia ficifolia on Geary. Were it not going to be reconfigured for BRT, it would be fun to see some more unusual species like Banksia integrifolia, Pinus contorta var. contorta, and Banksia praemorsa, planted there, too.
LOL SFBear!
@Mike & Jason – not surprised – sounds like a typical quick feel-good visual-fix.
Jason – great to hear from you – I think the Metrosideros (New Zealand Christmas Tree for the rest of the readers!) would be a great choice, Corymbia ficifolis (red gum) also good. Not sure about the Agonis, just because the form of that tree can be so unpredictable. I think a couple of the melaleucas could also be good trees for windy situations.