Sunflowers Brighten Up Downtown Manhattan Beach Thanks To MB Man

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Patches of sunflowers dot the downtown Manhattan Beach landscape near Vons and Union Bank near Manhattan Beach Boulevard and Valley Drive. These days, with the coronavirus pandemic, the flowers are a bright spot in a challenged world. But they'd be a bright spot anytime and the beauty they bring to the streets of Manhattan Beach ushers in hope for growth and change.

Manhattan Beach resident Nate Hubbard is the man behind the sunflower patches. The most visible one perhaps is at the corner of Manhattan Beach Boulevard and Valley drive right in front of the Vons sign. But if you look elsewhere, you're bound to see more in planters in the Vons parking lot as well as at Union Bank where a statuesque row stands tall.

Now retired, Hubbard and his wife Stephanie have lived in Manhattan Beach since the 1980s, raising three daughters and renovating their home four times, he said, chuckling. The former film editor of TV commercials can be seen two times every day tending to the sunflowers. He walks from his home nearby with a wagon of three full watering cans and whatever else he needs.

Lately, as his sunflowers have grown, he's been on a quest for stakes to keep them from breaking at the stalk. The pandemic has turned gardening into a heightened hobby and retail garden centers and large chain stores are frequently out of supplies. Such has been the case with stakes, so he welcomes donations since he hasn't been able to find any at the stores he frequents.

When he's out tending his sunflowers, people stop to tell him how wonderful they are. "'Oh, it's so nice you're doing this.' They're very complimentary about it," he said. He plans to plant sunflowers year-round ["Why change the mojo?" he says.] "as long as they'll let me." He picked sunflowers to grow because they're "big." He buys seeds at Deep Roots in Manhattan Beach and grows the plants at his home until they start to flower. Then he brings them to downtown and transplants them.

Growing up in Massachusetts, he said his dad had an "incredible garden." On family land in Maine, his dad grew "a huge garden" that was so large and productive, his mom and dad couldn't eat all of the produce and edibles they'd grown so his dad would give the extras to locals.

For his part, Hubbard did close the deal to plant the sunflowers at Vons by mentioning he'd pick up all of the trash in the parking lot and around the area while tending to his sunflowers. That sealed the deal. He notes that "all of the tellers" at Union Bank are very nice and appreciative of his efforts.