New Street Tree Planted on Larchmont

Today, a new street tree is being planted on Larchmont Boulevard near 141 N. Larchmont Blvd. It’s a replacement for a tree that was removed by the city four years ago because it was diseased. While the planting of the new tree is nicely timed with the centennial celebration of the street taking place on Sunday, it has certainly been a long time in coming.

Thanks to the efforts of (quite literally) “the Village,” City workers were hard at work today planting a new African Fern Pine or Podocarpus gracilior, which will join others that have been planted on the street in recent years.

The tree arrived this morning, thanks to Windsor Square resident Helen Hartung, who oversaw the selection of the tree delivered by Norman’s Nursery.  Hartung collaborated with Stephen Duprey at the City’s Urban Forestry Department and Heather Boylston of the Larchmont Village BID to coordinate the permits. Finally, special thanks to Todd Warner, owner of Tailwaggers, who committed to watering the tree, a prerequisite for any new trees planted by the city. Warner, a member of the Larchmont Boulevard Association who is organizing a ceremonial cake cutting on Sunday for the street’s 100th birthday, told the Buzz he was happy to volunteer to water the tree so it could be planted in time for the centennial celebration.

The LBA has invited Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman (CD-4), California State Senator Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), California State Assemblymember Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) and other local officials and community leaders to a ceremonial cake cutting and street tree dedication at 11:00 a.m.  on Sunday.