Featured in the LA Times
The inspiration was simple – the homeowners were very clear that they didn’t want a lawn. They wanted a garden that was free and open. I walk by this garden every morning and love it’s tranquility and the natural feel to it.
Mainly, their “garden” is drought resistant. They are “against” lawns in
Southern California – in fact, they think it should be outlawed as it’s such a waste of water!
They are still learning – and have a long way to go. The garden progresses slowly and they are anxious to learn more. They have planted many varieties of lavender with some color for accent. They experiment and see what works and what doesn’t. It’s been an ongoing project for at least 10 years. Without having a budget for serious landscaping work, they inch along, one or two plants at a time – and the results have been wonderful!
They get a lot of bees with the lavender and the rosemary – and love having them – even when they swarm in their studio, they don’t mind. They have a great Bee man who comes and captures them and takes them out to his place – no killing involved. They consider it really good fortune to attract so many bees. They also get hummingbirds – some may be nesting in our olive tree.
Irrigation is done just using a hose – oh for a day when they have an “irrigation” method! Generally they water twice a week.
They LOATHE leaf blowers – the exhaust and the absurdity of just blowing things around.
