This garden is featured in the newly published book The Edible Front Yard - read about the book in Sunset Magazine's Fresh Dirt. It was in a green design show at Otis College of Art and Design, called “Do It Now: Live Green”. It was also a finalist in Sundance Channel’s “What’s The Big Idea?” contest, has been featured on the Design Sponge blog, AND the homeowners have their own garden blog, which is also pretty famous.
The lawn was torn out and the homeowners are growing veggies/fruits and drought tolerant bee/bird-attracting perennials. There’s a huge assortment of annual vegetables, depending on the season + various berries and grapes, plus there’s a very special tree in the front garden, a Eucalyptus Deglupta (Rainbow Eucalyptus). The homeowners use a drip system, which is on a timer, but a few of the beds have sprinklers (the perennial beds).
The homeowner and a partner have started Beyond the Lawn: a design collaborative, offering services such as sustainable / edible landscape design, and plant and maintenance consultants and they’ll be available during the tour to answer questions. See them featured in this video. This house is also one of the original farmhouses for the lima bean fields!
They have leased solar panels through Solar City who will be on hand to answer questions. With the LADWP suspending their rebate program, look for lease options where you don't have to invest any money to start generating power!
Photos © 2008 Yvette Roman Photography
