The Orange Line route from North Hollywood to Woodland Hills used to be a railroad right-of-way that had become a dirt stretch covered with weeds and trash.

"It's turned out better than I expected," said Peer Ghent, president of the Valley Glen Neighborhood Association who helped oversee the Orange Line landscape design. "It's a tremendous boost to the community."

The $20 million project was so big that landscapers had to have nurseries grow shrubs from cuttings because they were having trouble finding enough mature plants for the project.

Native plants were used such as the coast live oak, the sycamore and the sticky monkey flower that will help attract native birds and wildlife. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority was reluctant to irrigate the entire route because of the cost, but eventually agreed after community activists complained.

Landscape Architect and urban forester Guy Stivers helped choose the Orange Line palette. He hopes the landscaping will attract people to drought-tolerant and native plants.

"As they cruise by at 50 mph, they are going to see a mosaic of grays, browns, rust colors and light greens," said Stivers. "It should be a lot more dynamic than your run-of-the-mill landscape."