CORONA DEL MAR : Sprucing Up a Bit With Evergreens

Money may not grow on trees, but some Corona del Mar merchants hope the planting of evergreens along the East Coast Highway median will provide an economic and spiritual boost to the quaint shopping district.

“We are trying to lift people’s spirits during this long recession,” said Patty McDonald of the Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce. “It gives people something nice to look at as they come . . . through our area. Hopefully, it will help spark the economy.”

The tree plantings are part of an ambitious road beautification program along the highway, coordinated by the chamber with help from the city of Newport Beach.

Already, five evergreen topiaries carved into the shape of dolphins have been planted along the traffic median at East Coast Highway and Marguerite Avenue. A dozen topiaries--some in the shape of pelicans--will eventually grace the median.

In addition, the chamber has commissioned local artists to paint a series of street banners to depict the more than 20 types of flowers that name the streets in Corona del Mar. The banners, with drawings of such flowers as acacias, dahlias and poppies, will be hung on each of the corresponding streets.

“This is a unique area. That’s what we want to show off,” said McDonald, a real estate agent with McDonald CDM Homes. “This sets us apart from the rest of Newport Beach.”

The chamber has to raise more than $10,000 to pay for the beautification effort. But an even greater hurdle was getting the California Department of Transportation to approve the plans. The chamber finally got the agency’s approval but only after agreeing to plant the evergreens, which are considered a “soft” tree that would cause less damage if hit by a car, McDonald said.

The face lift proves what she said she’s known all along: “This is the most charming village in Southern California.”