GROWING COMMUNITY.

Byline: Carolyn Sinclair Correspondent

Bonnie Nathanson tiptoes through her lush garden, careful to step between rows of bushy tomato plants, their leaves dripping wet from a recent rainstorm.

As she snips flowers for a bouquet, she is surrounded by the smell of fresh basil leaves and the muffled sound of traffic zooming past on the Ventura (101) Freeway.

On the nearby picket fence hangs a tiny hand-painted placard that reads: ``Show me your garden, and I'll show you who you are.''

What's uncommon about Nathanson's garden is its location. It's not in the yard of her Encino home; it's at the nearby Sepulveda Garden Center, among more than 700 plots available to the public.

``I have to say, I have a nice property at home, but I love the ambience here, the various types of people I meet at the Garden Center,'' says Nathanson, 64. ``It gives you a different outlook on life, coming out of the gardening experience.''

Operated by the city of Los Angeles, the Sepulveda Garden Center is one of dozens of community gardens - not including school gardens - scattered throughout Los Angeles. Ideal for those with limited yard space, community gardens offer a space to grow flowers, fruits and vegetables for a minimal monthly fee.

Most supply free garden tools such as spades and wheelbarrows. Scheduled watering and garbage service - and sometimes topsoil and seeds - are also free for gardeners. In addition to improving the neighborhood aesthetically, they serve as a gathering place where gardeners congregate, exchange ideas and develop lifelong friendships.

``It's like a communal kind of thing,'' says Donna Fernandez, an administrative assistant from Chatsworth who grows squash, onions, corn, radishes and roses at a community garden at Parkman Middle School in Woodland Hills.

Twenty-five years ago, Parkman Middle School cut its agricultural program. The garden that was used for the program lay dormant until a group of local residents volunteered to maintain it as a communal garden. For the last 15 years, Robert Blessing has overseen the property while keeping his own vegetable garden, which includes beets, carrots, garlic, zucchini, cucumbers and snow peas.

``It's good for the community to have things growing there,'' says Blessing, 79, of Woodland Hills. ``The land just laying fallow with weeds and grass doesn't enhance the neighborhood.

M.J. Ashmore, 70, says she rents land at the Sepulveda Garden Center because she enjoys visiting friends.

``We pack our lunches and stay all day, have our water, our ice tea in a lovely sitting area,'' says the Northridge resident.

Another garden that promotes a sense of togetherness is the Orcutt Ranch in West Hills. The 22-acre green space boasts orange groves, landscaped hills, marble statues and rose gardens.

Run by the city of Los Angeles, the ranch is used as a backdrop for weddings, film projects and special events. A portion of the property is also used as a communal garden.

``Some of these people, it gives them life,'' says Bobbie Ritter, an administrative assistant at Orcutt Ranch.

``It's like therapy. Gardening in place of therapy, and it's a lot better than going to therapy anyway.

Nathanson says her garden gives her a sense of solitude and relaxation.

The gems of Nathanson's garden are her eye-catching ``dinner plate'' dahlias. Not only do the stems grow higher than her head, but the flowers themselves can reach up to 9 inches in diameter. Some are flecked with yellow. Others come two-toned with swirls of pink, sherbet-orange, yellow or lilac-purple.

``It's my place to think,'' she says. ``I put on my headphones in the morning, listen to talk radio. It's my time be alone.''

Fernandez says the Parkman Gardens offer her a respite from her busy work environment.

``I work in an office, so it gives me the opportunity to be outside, in the air, in the sun.''

Although the original motivations vary, many gardeners agree that the experience serves to constantly enrich and improve their lives.

``The earth provides for us,'' says Blessing. ``If you are able to do things in conjunction with the earth that allows it to provide better for you, then it makes you feel better because you have accomplished something for yourself and for the community.''

COMMUNITY GARDENS

What: Sepulveda Garden Center

Location: 16633 Magnolia Blvd., Encino

Hours: 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily

Fees: $20 annual rental; $8 start-up fee

Phone: [phone]

Web: www.laparks.org

What: Parkman Gardens

Location: 20800 Burbank Blvd., Woodland Hills

Hours: Dawn to dusk

Fees: $15 annual rental

Phone: [phone]

What: Orcutt Ranch Horticuture Center

Location: 23600 Roscoe Blvd., West Hills

Hours: Sunrise to sunset

Fees: $25 annual rental

Phone: [phone]

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) Bonnie Nathanson at her Sepulveda Garden Center space in Encino.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer

(2 -- color) Robert Blessing has been coordinating the community-garden program at Parkman Middle School for 15 years.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer

(3 -- color) no caption (gardening)

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer

Box:

COMMUNITY GARDENS (see text)