Neighborhood Group Hosts Flower Potluck

The Valley Glen Neighborhood Assn. will host a potluck event of a different sort Saturday.

Instead of beef stew and lasagna dishes, organizers are asking participants to bring potted plants, flowers and gardening tools.

The goal is to beautify the Oxnard Street median between Buffalo and Varna streets. Association officials are billing it as the first major project for the recently renamed section of Van Nuys.

“You have to do more than just change the name of a community,” said Soraya Dosaj, one of the organizers.

Dosaj said the planting will start at 9 a.m. and should last until 4 p.m. Participants are asked to bring their own plants and tools, but extras should be available for those unable to bring them, she said.

Along with volunteers, the association is asking local nurseries and gardening centers to donate materials.

“We’ve gotten a great response so far,” Dosaj said. “It should be a good day.”

The median is currently spotted with sections of overgrown oleander leading to bare, hard, rocky soil.

Peer Ghent, association president, said the Oxnard median was chosen because while it definitely needs work, it is a project community members can handle with relative ease. “There are a lot of projects we have in mind, but this is one we knew we could take care of right away,” he said.

Ghent said he eventually wants the association to lobby the city for more bike paths and greenways in Valley Glen.

For more information about Saturday’s event, call (818) 997-1356.