The Chumash Garden at the Oxnard Historic Farm Park was established in 2015 to highlight plants which were used by the Chumash people of Southern California for a wide variety of uses. The garden also provides the public with examples of plants and practices that residential gardeners can use to conserve water, reduce maintenance and pollution and still offer beauty and a habitat for wildlife. Many of these native plants were common to this area prior to agriculture on the Oxnard Plains, and the garden is positioned at the entry point to the Oxnard Farm Park as a segue from one historic era to another.

The project has been a collaborative effort of the UC Master Gardeners of Ventura County, the Oxnard Historic Farm Park, the California-Department of Fist and Wildlife, the City of Oxnard Parks and Facilities and the Calleguas Municipal Water District.

Goals Of The Garden Are To Show

• Historic use of native plants by the Chumash people
• Benefits of organic mulch: weed control, water conservation, keeping plant roots cool and building better soil
• Air quality improvement by reducing or eliminating gas powered maintenance equipment. By eliminating or minimizing lawns, green waste and use of fertilizers is also reduced
• An attractive garden can thrive with a minimum of irrigation. Plants in this garden are all drought tolerant and are occasionally hand watered.