About the Grassland Garden at Ninos Parkway – Natomas Garden & Arts Collective

A New Garden Has Come to Ninos Parkway

In 2023, the Natomas Garden & Arts Club received funding from a SMUD Shine Award to create 1/4 acre of pollinator habitat along Ninos Parkway in the South Natomas area of Sacramento. This new garden has been created with support from the SMUD Shine Program, Sacramento Valley California Native Plant Society, MiridaeLabs, Natomas Rotary Club, Councilman Jeff Harris and the Xerces Society!

The “Grassland Garden” is located at Ninos Parkway at Edmonton Drive in South Natomas. It features drought-tolerant native plants that can be found in California’s native grasslands. The Grassland Garden will provide vital habitat for monarch butterflies and other pollinators, as well as birds and other wildlife. Many of the plants were chosen because they are valuable to pollinators and other wildlife. For example, the garden contains two species of milkweed, the plant that monarch caterpillars need to feed on to mature into adults.

Purple Needle Grass

California’s native grasslands are teeming with life—birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, and other animals depend on grasslands. Grassland ecosystems consist of grasses, grass-like plants, shrubs, and forbs, and support about 40% of California’s native plant species. Development, agriculture, and invasion by exotic species have reduced California native grasslands by 99%. Grasslands are important for carbon sequestration, flood reduction, erosion prevention, and food production.

The Grassland Garden will have many other benefits. It will provide an outdoor class space for nearby schools and enhance the appearance of the parkway, creating a beautiful place for community members to walk and exercise.

Growing the Grassland Garden

We believe that people will enjoy the Grassland Garden and we would love to have the community involved in this project. To that end, the Natomas Garden & Arts Club organized a volunteer planting day for the Grassland Garden on Dec 2, 2022. (See video recorded that day.)

Now that the baby plants are in the ground and flourishing, the NGAC is organizing volunteer workdays to help maintain the Grassland Garden. We can use your help!

Garden workdays will be held on the third Sunday of the month from 9:00am – 11:00am and every Thursday evening from 5:30 – 7:30pm.

Please join us in the garden! Come help us in the garden while learning more about pollinators and pollinator-friendly landscaping. We hope to see you there!

If you would like to volunteer, please email Nancy Kapellas at natomasgardenartsclub@gmail.com for more information and to be included on our workday email list.

Rows of native plants ready for planting

Councilman Jeff Harris & SMUD’s Betty Low

Your participation in NGAC neighborhood projects continues to demonstrate commitment to the community and investment in our future. We appreciate your involvement and couldn’t do it without you! If you would like to stay informed of future community projects, just click here natomasgardenartsclub@gmail.com to request your name and email be added to our announcements list.

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