USC Peace Garden
In the Garden
Features of the USC Peace Garden
The overall design of the USC Peace Garden is by graduate student, Daniela Velazco, Master of Landscape Design + Urbanism Candidate, USC School of Architecture.
The Garden includes an urban mini-farm surrounded by California native plants and other drought-tolerant ornamental plants. The overall design is inspired by Southern California ecosystems and growing food.
Murals
The mural at the front of the Garden was designed and painted by Daniella Leon, undergraduate student at the USC Roski School of Art and Design.
The mural at the back of the Garden was designed and painted by Trenyce Tong, undergraduate student at the USC Roski School of Art and Design.
Plant Adoption Center
Visitors to the USC Peace Garden are invited to adopt and take home a plant. We have a selection of hardy succulents — mostly jade and aloe — that we propagate on site.
Planting approach / principles / design
- Environmental sustainability, including low water usage, composting, no use of harmful fertilizers or pesticides.
- Cultivating place, including emphasizing plants that are native to this region/ecosystem.
What are we growing?
The vegetables we are growing change every few weeks — some are added and some harvested on an ongoing basis. Fruit trees we are cultivating and/or rehabilitating include: pomegranate, peach, fig, banana, apple, orange, lemon, avocado, persimmon and loquat.
California native plant species grown in the USC Peace Garden include:
- California buckwheat (varieties of Eriogonum)
- California bush sunflower (Encelia californica)
- California fuchsia (Epilobium canum)
- California goldenrod (Solidago californica)
- California sagebrush (Artemisia californica)
- Deergrass (Muhlenbergia rigens)
- Golden currant (Ribes aureum)
- Lemonade berry (Rhus integrifolia)
- Sages: black sage (Salvia mellifera), Cleveland sage (Salvia clevelandii), hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea), white sage (Salvia apiana)
- Showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa)
- Sugar bush (Rhus ovata)
- Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)
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