Hügelkultur Landscaping Workshop Comes to Poly November 9

In collaboration with the City of Pasadena’s Water Conservation Department, Poly is hosting a Hügelkultur Workshop on Saturday, November 9, on Arden Lawn.

What is Hügelkultur? This nature-based planting technique tackles three environmental sustainability challenges: drought, biodiversity loss, and unhealthy soil. Hügelkultur is a German term for “mound culture”. It mimics what happens in nature, where organic material falls and creates layers, trapping water and creating nutrient-rich soil for new plant life.

Students and other Poly community volunteers will build the Arden Woodland Hügel at the workshop, layering organic materials such as cut logs, mulch, grass, and soil to create a mound. As the woody organic material in the mound decays, it will soak up water like a sponge, providing water and nutrients to the new planting bed and nearby trees. Channeling stormwater from the Boswell building to the Hügel is another exciting water conservation feature of this project. The Hügel will ultimately become a planting bed to host native plants, creating habitats for pollinators and other wildlife essential for sustaining biodiversity.