“Pollinator Blvd” invigorates gateway to Mission Dolores neighborhood

ON MARCH 3, 2016, more than 40 volunteers came together on an overcast San Francisco Saturday morning to put hundreds of plants in the ground to create Pollinator Blvd., a pollinator-friendly garden on the wide median of the first block of Dolores St., just opposite the new Whole Foods Store.

Patricia Algara, principal of BASE Landscape Architecture, came up with the idea, and brought it to fruition. The project received the MDNA Board’s enthusiastic endorsement after it was assured that BASE, Whole Foods, and SFDPW committed to ensuring that Pollinator Blvd. is well maintained (and not neglected, like so many of the city’s medians), a source of pride, not embarrassment.

Pollinator Blvd. is filled with colorful and durable perennials that are both drought-tolerant and attractive to pollinating birds and insects. The garden thrives with drip irrigation, using a fraction of the water formerly required to keep the turf green. As is evident on the entire rest of Dolores St., the median turf has been allowed to turn brown due to the drought. BASE hopes to extend the concept further down the boulevard.

Pollinator Blvd., 3 months after Planting Day. Lookin’ good!

All the changes of the past 5 years —including the Pollinator Blvd., have completely transformed first block of the majestic Dolores Street boulevard.

For more information about the garden and volunteer opportunities to keep the garden looking beautiful, contact Patricia Algara at 415.509-3728 or patricia@baselandscape.com. BASE Landscape Architecture