The front garden is entirely California Native and, of course drought resistant. This garden was created in 2008. It was designed by Curt Klebaum to reflect the tastes of the homeowners.
Their goals were to save water, to have a garden appropriate to our climate, to reduce waste, and the aesthetics. They chose pink flowering currant, wooly blue curls, flannel plant, seaside daisy, bush anemone and fremontia California glory among others. They love the scents of the sages. Their water bills have gone down substantially - currently $27 per two month period. It is an ongoing experiment due to the fact that California Native plants can sometimes be fussy and erratic.
They have seen a proliferation of hummingbirds, butterflies and other birds on the property since they installed the garden. It is really wonderful to see so much activity on the property!
They use a drip irrigation system. Watering is done very, very infrequently. They do not water in the spring or summer, perhaps watering a few times in the fall before the rains begin.
They do not need a gardener and do not use leaf-blowers. They are illegal in the City of Los Angeles and we should do whatever we can to stop their use.
Curt Klebaum, their landscape designer, will be there from 3 – 4pm to answer questions.
