Greetings of the Season, Orchard neighbors! You are invited to a home-grown holiday musical celebration with special guests – The Band of Singers – on Saturday, December 13 from 7 – 9:30pm. Join us as we sing-in the holidays with an evening of merriment and song!

We’ll gather outside the home of one of our Orchard stalwarts to raise a glass, nibble on some home-baked holiday treats, and listen to the sounds of Beachwood’s own Band of Singers. We’ll all sing through some holiday songs ourselves and then we’ll take our act on the road, wending our way through the neighborhood CAROLING! Then we’ll finish up back where we started. 

Please bring your favorite holiday dessert! We’ll provide beverages hot and cold, but feel free to bring a bottle yourself. 

If you’ve never been caroling before, you’re in for a treat. And if you have, you already know! So don your favorite holiday apparel, deck yourself with some tinsel and twinkling lights and bring some bells to ring or an instrument to play. And we’ll jingle all the way!

Please RSVP as soon as possible, as space is limited, and we’ll let you know where we’re gathering. 

The leaves are turning, the evenings are crisp, and the season of thanks calls us all to the table. Join us on Sunday, November 16, from 6:30 – 9:30 PM at the Besant Lodge for a special Harvest Dinner, an evening of heartfelt community connection and shared gratitude for the turning of the year.

Bring a favorite dish to share, something from your kitchen, your garden, or your heart. Space is limited, so please RSVP soon, and kindly refrain from inviting additional guests beyond those registered. Children are welcome!

When you RSVP, let us know what you’ll be bringing. Drinks, plates, and utensils will be provided, though you’re always welcome to bring your own.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! We'll need help setting up at 5:30pm and cleaning up at 9:30pm. Please let us know via the RSVP link if you can lend a hand. 

CONSIDER A DONATION! As we celebrate together and look toward the year’s end, we invite you to consider a small donation in the spirit of gratitude and generosity. Every contribution helps nurture the gatherings and connections that make this Beachwood community special. Donate Today!

The Fall Season is upon us. And here in the Orchard, that means one thing…uh, two things: Pomegranates and Persimmons. Two amazing fruits we’re lucky enough to have growing right here in Hollywood.

If you’re not too familiar with the wonders of both these fruits, here’s your chance to find out! On Saturday, October 25th, we’ll be picking Pomegranates from trees we planted a few years back here in Beachwood, then we’ll travel to a couple friends of the Orchard who have amazing Persimmons they’re happy to share. So come join the fun!

We’ll gather at our dear friend Nora’s at 9am for a little coffee (and maybe an Armenian goodie or two). After picking her Pomegranates, we’ll head out for a little Persimmon picking down in Hollywood. Please RSVP, so we know how many to expect, and we’ll get you all the details.Come meet us in the Orchard. You’ll be glad you did!

P.S. Also, let us know if you’re able to join us during the week for fruit delivery downtown, or a Fun Friday cooking with the kids at A Place Called Home.

We had two amazing events this weekend, but we are working to expand our calendar, and we need your help to make it happen!

We're working to form an Events Crew that helps put together picks, culinary events, and other programming. This means choosing events, putting dates on the calendar, and helping to bring these events to fruition. 

Many of you have been instrumental in planning and pulling off the amazing events we've put on over the years, and we need you to jump in and join our new Events Crew. It'll be a blast. And, together, we'll get this season of Orchard events going and growing. Join us for our first meeting!

Join us for a Double Header event on Saturday, September 30! We’ll be doing a Quick Grape Pick in Hollywood at 9am and then later enjoying an Afternoon Jam Session.

Grape Quick Pick at 9:30 am in Hollywood
Afternoon Jam Session at Daria Ti’s from 4-6 pm

You won't want to miss our All About the Bees Beekeeping Farmers’ Circle on Saturday, May 17 from 9AM-12PM at Tom & Nancy Amandes’ house at 2751 Pelham Place (map).

Where would our Orchard be without bees? These industrious workers transfer pollen between blossoms which helps make fruit happen. Plus, bees are flat-out amazing creatures. 

If you’d like learn more about bees and beekeeping, and even get a close up look at the inner workings of an active hive, you won’t want to miss this very special Farmers’ Circle.

Friend of the Orchard Chip Clements has been a beekeeper here in Hollywood for many years. He’s happily shared his knowledge with neighbors throughout Beachwood Canyon, at the BirdHouse and even A Place Called Home. We’re delighted to have him come share his wisdom with us at the Orchard.

THIS WILL BEE A VERY LIMITED EVENT.  Because we’ll need protective suits for all participants, we have to limit attendance to a total of 12. So please RSVP as soon as possible. 

If you happen to have a bee suit or two that we can use, please let us know via the button below, and we can adjust accordingly. We look forward to seeing you! Where else would you rather BEE?

Please note: Parking is very limited on Pelham Place. Please park on Beachwood and walk. 

You won't want to miss our Loquat Love-Fest on Saturday, April 26th from 9AM-2PM at Tom & Nancy Amandes’ house at 2751 Pelham Place (map). Our amazing Picking Crew will be harvesting lots of lovely, locally-grown loquats and then our fabulous Kitchen Crew will take a bunch of them and turn them into something delicious that we can all share!

And for our grand finale? The following Monday, the bulk of our harvest we'll donate to our neighbors in South Central via  A Place Called Home , in Pasadena through Feed The Streets, and to the good folks at the Downtown Women's Center.

That’s one heck of a Loquat Love-Fest!

We'll need some hands to help pick the fruit, and A LOT of hands to process it.

Originally from China, the loquat has made a quite a home here in the Hollywood Hills. The tasty yellow-gold fruit is mildly sweet and typically contains 2 or 3 large brown seeds. But ripe loquats are easily bruised, so they need to be picked and handled with care. Of course, one taste of a juicy, fresh-picked loquat and you’ll know it's well worth the effort! 

There are lots of ways to take part in our Loquat Love-Fest!

Have a loquat tree that needs picking? Let us know. 
Want to be on the Picking Crew or be a Crew Leader? Let us know.  Wear long sleeves and sunscreen, and bring pruners, water and gloves. 
Want to be on the Kitchen Crew? Let us know. Please bring rubber gloves and a dishtowel that you don't mind getting dirty. 
And, yes, you'll be able to do both! Pick first then prep with the Kitchen Crew after. Double the fun!

Can't join us on Saturday? Or simply want to help with our wonderfully rewarding post-Pick Delivery?  We'll need a hand loading up the harvested loquats and driving them over to our partners on Monday morning, April 28th.

Please note: Parking is limited on Pelham Place. Park on Beachwood (but be mindful of the parking signs) or take a ride share.

Join us Saturday, March 22 for a St. Paddy's Day Pick-n-Sing. We’ll harvest citrus in the top o’ the morning and sing songs in the shank o’ the evening. You won't want to miss the fun! 

Morning Citrus Pick: 9am – 1pm 
Tom & Nancy Amandes’ patio 
2751 Pelham Place (map)
The harvest will benefit our downtown partners and folks affected by the fires.

Evening House Concert: 7pm
Tom & Nancy Amandes’ home
2751 Pelham Place (map)

St. Paddy’s celebration to benefit the Hollywood Orchard featuring
Tom & his brother Paul Amandes – A Couple o’ Rogues
and special guests Jeff Brown on bass, and Michael Jerome on percussion
Limited seating, RSVP
$20 suggested minimum donation includes amazing
St. Paddy’s themed food and drink!
No one turned away for lack of funds

Please note: Parking on Pelham is very limited.
Park on Beachwood and walk or take a ride share.

My big brother Paul and I were very close growing up – of course, being ‘Irish twins’ in the middle of eleven siblings that’s not surprising. We were raised with a love of music and folk songs, and with a mother from the Shaunessy clan, an appreciation of all things Irish. Paul and I have made music together our entire lives, singing folk and Irish tunes with Jamie O’Reilly & the Rogues, Balderdash, and the Golden Fleas.

So with this year’s citrus pick so close to St. Patrick’s Day, I figured why not fly Paul out from blustery Chicago to share our Irish songs and stories with our Hollywood Orchard friends? And if we can help keep the Orchard going strong, so much the better.

Céad Mile Fáilte!

Would you like to learn how to propagate trees or plants from cuttings? Figs and pomegranates not only do very well in our local climate, they are also easy to propagate from cuttings. Join us for our Fig & Pomegranate Propagation Workshop & Farmers' Circle this Saturday. We'll gather at 2611 Glen Green Street (map) at 9:30 am for coffee and community, and we will start the presentation and workshop at 10 am. You will be able to take home a small tree to grow.

What to bring: hand pruners if you have them, a hat, bottle of water and whatever you need to be comfortable outside. We will provide all of the materials.

Suggested donation of $10 to cover cost of materials but no one turned away for lack of funds. You can bring cash the day of the event or we will have a venmo QR code available.

Please RSVP so we know how many supplies to bring.

It’s time to Dig In! 

Each year since 2013, we’ve planted trees with adoptive neighbors in hopes that they'll bear fruit for the good of our greater community. That’s over 120 trees and counting, many of which we’re now able to harvest! Join us as we check in on the health of the trees we’ve planted throughout the years and do some maintenance to keep them in tip top shape.

Plus we have a big milestone to celebrate: 2025 marks the 10 year anniversary of our sweet Mini Grove! Please join us and get hands on experience planting and maintaining our trees. We'll meet on Saturday, March 1 at 9am in the Hollywood Orchard Mini Grove in the upper cul-de-sac of Glen Green Street. From there, we’ll spread out through the neighborhood to do a little planting and tree care at a couple of our other Orchard sites!

We look forward to seeing you!

Please join us for our first event of 2025: Lemon Love.

We will pick prime citrus – lemons, limes, oranges, tangerines, and grapefruits. There is a lot of fruit out there and a lot of love to spread around. This time we will be donating fruit not only to our usual spots, APCH and the Downtown Women's Center but also coordinating to get fresh fruit to those affected by the recent fires. 

Let's make lemonade.

This year has already been very hard. We want to lean into community and an ethic of inclusiveness and sharing. Let's turn some lemons into lemonade. This event will not include a full 'kitchen' event, however, we will gather round ye olde juicers to make lemonade from our locally picked lemons. At the end of the pick as we box up the fruit to be donated, we will make and share some lovely lemonade.

Meet in the front yard at 2599 Glen Green Street, 90068 at 9AM

Schedule:

9 - 9:30 am – Gather for coffee and snacks

9:30 am – Go out and pick!

11:30 am - 12:30 pm – Regroup for lemonade and packing of fruit

12:30 - 1 pm – Clean up

If you can't make the actual event on Saturday but want to help deliver fruit Sunday the 16th or Monday the 17th, please let us know. Delivering the fruit is one of the most satisfying volunteer opportunities!

How to get involved:

Got fruit? Let us know if you have citrus fruit that are ready to pick

RSVP to be a pick volunteer

Sign up to bring a baked good or other breakfast goodie

Volunteer to deliver the fruit on Sunday, February 16 or Monday, February 17

Let us know how you can help via the button below

Gather with us Saturday, December 14th from 6:00 – 9:00 PM in the Glen Green Cul-de-Sac for the final Trombones on the Glen. 

An RSVP is not necessary but a dish to share with the community is! 

Staging this event requires many hands to help put it together. If you can spare a couple of hours, it will be greatly appreciated.

We look forward to seeing you!

Climate issues can feel overwhelming and cause a sense of disempowerment, leaving us with little or no idea what to do. Much of this is due to a forgetting of our innate role to assist balanced life processes. But resilient communities – human societies nested within ecosystems – exist and thrive because of the vast unseen workforces of living microbial, plant, & animal communities who regulate climate and natural resources.

Please join us Sunday, October 20th, at the Besant Lodge in Beachwood Canyon for A Cool Down: Creating Community Resilience in a Warming Climate. Doors open at 6 PM. We will be discussing the essential, practical, local, and very hopeful nature of our role in supporting the biotic systems who make life on land possible.

A portion of this event will be a presentation, along with interactive demonstration and exercises for participants. Additionally, there will be an outreach table and short presentation by community organizers, Ruth Gamble & Caitlyn Rucker.

We request that you RSVP to help us gauge crowd size, but your presence is welcome regardless. The event is free, but we always welcome donations to our local 501(c)3. We look forward to seeing you!

Please join us Saturday, October 12 from 6:30 – 9:30 PM at the Besant Lodge for a special Harvest Dinner to give thanks, celebrate our community, & honor the natural world that sustains us by sharing food.

Please bring a a dish to share. Due to the capacity of the Besant Lodge, seating is limited. It will be important to RSVP as promptly as you can and we ask that invitations are not extended to additional unregistered guests. Children are welcome! 

Please indicate what type of dish you would like to bring in the RSVP form. Drinks, utensils and plates will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own. 

Consider a donation: Donations are very welcome to help cover the cost of the Besant Lodge rental. A few dollars a head will do!

We look forward to seeing you!

Please join us Saturday, July 27 from 3 – 5 PM, in lower Beachwood Canyon for a cool summer gathering. Come enjoy homemade ice cream and sorbet made from neighborhood fruit! Bring your own frozen creation to share, and enjoy treats others have whipped-up. We’ll have summer-inspired beverages, too! 

SPACE IS LIMITED, please RSVP to ensure attendance at this event. 

The Social will take place in Beachwood Canyon, Los Angeles, CA 90068. The address will be shared after you RSVP. Parking is limited. Please park on N. Beachwood Drive or use a rideshare.

Let's enjoy the long summer evenings with a chance to catch up and spread some compost.

Meet us at the Mini Grove to Compost & Chill this Thursday, June 27 from 5-7:30pm! We’ll be flipping the compost pile, spreading finished compost around the Mini Grove, deep watering and generally doing some tree TLC. Gloves, sunhat and a bottle of water are recommended. We will have some chilled beverages to enjoy as well.

We continue to reap the benefits of last years' rain and our canyon trees are still bursting with fruit. Join us to pick and for a little party afterwards.

The bulk of our harvest is shared with partners like A Place Called Home, an incredible community center in South Central LA, and the Downtown Women's Center, the only organization in LA exclusively dedicated to addressing the needs of women overcoming poverty and homelessness on Skid Row. We also work with Council District 4 to get fruit to folks in need right here in Hollywood.

We’ll meet at 12pm to pick fruit and will then reconvene in the lovely front yard of our own dear Larry Markes for a little St. Patrick’s Day celebration from 2pm- 5pm. Please RSVP so we know how many folks to plan for!

It’s time for Diggin’ In! 

Yep, each year since 2013, we’ve planted trees with adoptive neighbors in hopes that they'll bear fruit for the good of our greater community. That’s over 120 trees and counting, many of which we’re now able to harvest!

This year’s Diggin’ In we’ll start by celebrating the lives of two very special friends of the Hollywood Orchard, Julie Harding and Julian Sands.

Julie was the darling of Glen Green, the wife of board member Larry Markes and a delight to all of us lucky enough to bask in her presence.Our neighborhood is a poorer place without her, and certainly less colorful. 

Julian was an actor’s actor and an avid outdoorsman. Along with his daughter Imogen, he took part in some of our earliest Diggin’ Ins.Scampering up steep hillsides beside the intrepid Bill Pullman, planting peaches and figs in the wilds of Beachwood.

We’ll meet first at the Mini-Grove to plant and dedicate a tree for Julian. Then we’ll stroll down the block to plant a Pineapple Guava at Julie and Larry’s, a companion for the Pineapple Guava we planted there years ago.

After our toasts to Julian and Julie, we’ll break up into a couple crews to go plant another couple trees, and pick a couple orange and tangerine trees while their fruit is at its peak.

A sweet and poignant event. Please join us and get hands on experience planting new tree! We'll meet on Sunday, February 25th promptly at 9am in the Hollywood Orchard Mini Grove in the upper cul-de-sac of Glen Green Street.

Join us on Sunday, January 7 from 9AM - 1PM for our annual Tree-age work day (like 'triage' but for trees, get it?! ). We'll be doing some hands-on tree care to benefit our growing orchard. Learn pruning, composting, and tree TLC from our very own master arborist, Lora Hall. Meet us at the Mini Grove (the upper Glen Green cul-de-sac) and be ready to get your hands dirty!

We’ll start at the Mini Grove, and head out on foot to check up on the hundred-or-so fruit trees we’ve planted over the years. A great way to assess the orchard, catch up with each other and hike off some of those holiday calories!

We're expecting a wet winter again this year, and we want to develop our soils and properties to capture and hold as much precipitation as possible. 

We will meet this Sunday, December 17 at 9AM at the Mini Grove (the upper Glen Green Street cul-de-sac). We will start the day with a little conversation & demonstration of soil structure and its essential benefits. Then, because of a generous burlap donation from Groundwork Coffee, we will build wattle-style berms on the hillside and spread wood chips on the bare pathways. 

Both interventions will help slow down water movement to spread and sink rain, and assist soil development for the benefit of the fruit trees and future native plantings.

We will have some light refreshment, including organic coffee from our sponsor. We love to see you and always appreciate the help. Our land and community are healthier when we grow together.

Loquats are one of our favorites at the Hollywood Orchard! While loquats originate in southern China, they happen to thrive in Southern California as well, and the trees fill the canyons of Los Angeles with their lovely sweet fruit for a brief time every Spring.

Our local crop is ripe and ready, so we'll need volunteers this Saturday, May 20th from 9AM – 1PM to help pick. We'll be donating the fruit to our partner organizations, The Downtown Women's Center and A Place Called Home, who will get the fresh fruit to those who need it most.

Please note: This pick will not have a kitchen component, but volunteers will be able to take home some fresh fruit along with a recipe to try at home! Please bring gloves, water, sunscreen, and a canning jar to take some loquats home. 

Let us know if you are interested in picking or have a tree you would like us to pick!