Master Gardener Carolyn Dorsch highlights San Carlos native plant garden as a volunteer-run community space

Master Gardener Carolyn Dorsch said the San Carlos Native Plant Habitat Garden, on the San Carlos civic complex, has been in place since late 2019 and is listed on Google Maps.

"Our garden is actually on Google Maps, so if you look for a native plant garden in San Carlos you will find this garden," Dorsch said, adding that volunteers work year-round to keep the site blooming.

Dorsch told listeners the garden uses mostly raised beds because two parking structures lie beneath the complex; "a lot of what we're seeing here it's actually grown in only about 2 feet of soil," she said. Volunteers spend time each week caring for the plants: "We're here every week for 2 hours at least year round," Dorsch said, noting that the site changes visibly within days and after short absences.

She described the site as "kind of a community place," where Master Gardener and community volunteers meet and where library patrons, people visiting city hall and regular passersby often pause to look and smell the plants. Dorsch said some visitors are regulars who walk dogs or use the nearby senior center.

In addition to the native plant beds, Dorsch noted a patio herb garden on the other side of a wall, underscoring that the civic-complex landscaping includes multiple, small garden spaces maintained by volunteers.

The presentation provided a snapshot of a volunteer-run urban native-plant project that aims to combine habitat value with public accessibility; Dorsch did not outline any formal funding sources or city actions tied to the garden.