3171 Barry Avenue

This garden is a must see for those who think that water conservation means giving up color! It has the lush feel of an English Garden with an expected water usage of one quarter the lawns that they replaced.

The garden in front is made up of mostly California natives that are either drought tolerant or drought resistant. Because the garden is under a rather massive California Sycamore tree, they needed expert advice as to what might survive and even flourish there. The back garden consists of several rooms and areas of the garden with different heights and features, including a pond with a waterfall and fish (once a leaking redwood hot tub), an arbor, a small rose garden, a fountain area and two patio areas.

The garden has evolved over the last 15-20 years. Mistakes are inevitable and they have learned to tolerate plants dying or not doing so well without feeling like that they have been a “bad mother/caretaker.”

In the back they have daylilies, roses, lions’ manes, irises, hydrangeas (mostly from Trader Joe’s indoor plants), a lotus, and several vines. Their favorites are the clematis vines, the roses, wisterias and the lions’ tails. The front includes heuchera, iris, agapanthus, juncos, scirpus, eriogonum, festuca, pittosporum, coleonema, dorychnium, ceanothus, arctostaphylos , mimulus, azelias and camellias. For the most part, these plants were provided by their garden designer, Steve Gerischer, who gave a course at the Arboretum on how to get rid of lawns.

The owners so enjoy sitting in the back and watching the butterflies, the hummingbirds, the bees, finches and many birds they can’t name or identify.

3336 Wade Street

What a treat – this garden has it all. The homeowners did everything themselves – and continue to. The front garden was created in 2005 when they ripped out the lawn and planted a mix of California native and drought tolerant plants. The back yard was created in 2007 when they removed the rest of the lawn. Both continue to be a work in progress.

Their goal was privacy in the front and utility in the back and they continue to eek out any extra space they can find to plant more edibles. Between front and back, it’s a delightful mix that includes olive trees, rosemary, ceanothus, flax, day lilies, tea tree, various lavender, lots of salvia, kaffir lime, meyer lemon, heliotrope, lots of herbs and veggies, blueberries, strawberries… the list is endless, as are the many uses. The collection attracts tons of bees, birds (mostly hummingbirds) and butterflies.

There are sprinklers in the front that run 5 minutes twice a week. Most of the back is on a drip system. When it rains, they add large buckets to capture it. Everything they plant is from seed or cuttings that they trade with neighbors. The garden is completely organic and fed with home composting.

This is a great stop for anyone who wants hands on advice!

3254 Inglewood Boulevard

The primary impetus for the landscape overhaul in the front of the house was to add a new play space for their children.

Prior to this project they had grass in the front yard and all the balls rolled downhill as they like to say. They never spent time in the front yard and the lawn never looked healthy since all the water ran off down the street. It just wasn't pleasant. They ended up with a beautiful garden surrounding a gravel play area for their children to enjoy. The centerpieces are two olive trees and a huge boulder.

They planted Mediterranean natives in a palette of soft grey and burgundy with a mix of interesting textures for their children to explore and to create interest visually. Their son's favorite part of the yard is the guava hedge. He loves to pick fruit directly from them. The Syrah grape vines are also nice for this and serve a very functional cooling function through the hottest days of the year. In addition the guava hedge and Syrah grapes, they also added edibles in pots. A few of their favorites beyond the edibles are the anemones, Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Marjorie Channon' and lophomyrtus ralphii 'Black Stallion'. The non-fruiting olives also add balance and softness to the yard.

The garden was designed by Grace Phillips and is "California friendly". Although not strictly 100% native, the palette is mixed between some Mediterranean and some California cultivars. They have many plants from Native Sons Nursery, which is a wonderful developer of new climate-appropriate hybrids. The front yard is is permeable, and has zero runoff. Before, when the grass spray was on, the water would saturate the surface of the soil and then shed down the hill. Now, all the water is delivered slowly enough that there is no runoff, and since it is all subsurface we have eliminated the 30% or so of spray that is blown away and evaporates.

The yard now has a fence -- corral wire to save material and provide a brighter look -- that is lined with a guava hedge, which produced delicious fruit last fall. Inside of this hedge, there is a planter with "California friendly" plants including lavenders. This rings the main space of the front yard, which is a large gravel play area. This is a level space that was carefully and creatively leveled by absorbing the slope through a small retaining wall below, and putting a slight grade in the planter areas above and below the space. Not only did this remove the lawn and associated water runoff, but it made a beautiful and secure play space that their son loves. Since this is the sun side, the grapes provide natural shade for the house and help keep the house cooler in the hottest parts of the summer. It also provides tasty fruit that their son loves to pick right off the vines.

The water usage in the front of the house has likely dropped dramatically -- it's probably 20% of what it was. Irrigation is through an automatic watering system connected to a weather sensor to adjust for temperature and precipitation. The irrigation is all through buried lines with the exception of three pots that are connected to an small external drip (automatic too). The landscape designer and landscape maintenance specialist may be there to answer questions.

3249 Colby Avenue

This garden will have a demo on low flow sprinklers and information on the turf removal program - this is a great stop if you are starting to convert your own lawn! They will be recycling the free drip irrigation starter kit provided to them by the So Cal Water Smart Residential Turf Removal Program via a free raffle. Winner's name will be selected and called for pick up same day.

Additionally, an assorted basket containing Sungold tomato plant and herbs will be part of the free raffle, courtesy of Merrihew's Sunset Gardens. This winner will additionally win 10% off their first purchase at Merrihews.


They will also have 4 rolling, self-watering, tomato containers in place on their driveway by tour day. They grow four Sungolds and supply the neighbors and also use them to welcome new neighbors to the neighborhood. Last year 4 families received them and were thrilled! The driveway is their only and maximum sun area for the entire garden. They roll them around to capture the rays. Anything for Sungolds!

Attendance at the Ocean Friendly Gardens Workshop June 2009 inspired this homeowner to evaluate the water waste from downspouts and ineffectual parkway sprinkler system and think of ways that they could make positive adjustments. This led to reconsidering what other 'low lying fruits' they could pick and they made plans to remove the 50+ year old lawn. With the help of garden designer Judy M Horton, who had previously refreshed their back garden, the space was transformed from a non-inspiring battered lawn to a serene haven for birds and butterflies, neighbors and owners. Monarch butterflies were on the yellow yarrow the same day as planted. The birds were bathing on day #2. The squirrels sat and watched the crew install and drive them crazy on a daily basis!

The plant palate is combo of low to medium water need plants from Mediterranean and Australian growing area. Herbs are interspersed around a bubbly bird bath fountain. Non-planted space is covered in Del Rio gravel. Irrigation is drip. The design was incorporated into pre-existing materials that dictated a particular design sense and personal preference.

The front downspouts are directed into gravel areas. One is into a small rock filled basin, to encourage better drainage into the area; the other has a flexible perforated hose attachment, directed into the tree drip line area. The rain barrel is in the back garden but will not be on the tour.

Plants needed to be low maintenance, low to moderate water need, able to tolerate lots of Jacaranda tree droppings and provide year round visual interest. The garden was transformed within the 120 days allowed on the Turf Removal Program, completed mid Nov, 2009. Thanks to advice from Marilee Kuhlman of G3LA, they used Biodegradable paper mulch and thanks to Surfrider Foundation Ocean Friendly Gardens, they learned about compost tea and application.

Bob Galbraith consulted, thanks to a referral by Marilee Khulman and a drip irrigation system was installed by their garden crew. They water as needed and use a soil probe and garden experience to determine if and when watering is required. After established, the sun areas, during the summer may need once a week, the shade areas less. In winter, who knows yet?

It’s too soon to know what the water reduction will be. New gardens don't necessarily reduce water consumption right away; even water wise ones like this. All mature periphery materials have been watered by Mother Nature only for the last 20 years. It was all initially planted with drip irrigation 30 years ago. We were frugal lawn waterers to begin with. We do know that the water will be more effectively directed towards plantings and replenishing the ground water and NOT running down the street.

The Green Committee is thrilled to report that the MVCC has sent a letter of support for the proposed Low Impact Development ordinance to Commissioner Paula Daniels at the LA Department of Public Works. We support this ordinance as an important step to insure that Los Angeles moves forward on water conservation.

The proposed Low Impact Development (LID) Ordinance will be heard by the City of Los Angeles, Board of Public Works on Friday, January 15, 2010 at 9:30 a.m. at City Hall, 200 North Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, Room 350. Click here to view the meeting agenda. Several members of the MVCC Green Committee will be at the meeting to speak to the importance of this ordinance. Please consider joining them!

This is the approved motion:


The Mar Vista Community Council Board of Directors, at its regular January 12th Board meeting, approved the following motion:
Whereas stormwater pollution, water shortages, flood control, climate change and the availability of natural green space have all become pressing environmental issues for the City of Los Angeles, and
Whereas Low Impact Development (LID) has been designed to address many of these concerns, and
Whereas the Mar Vista Community Council shares these concerns and would like to lend support to practices that encourage and provide for sustainability and smart growth that preserves the characteristics of the City’s watersheds, water supplies and natural resources, and
Whereas the Community of Mar Vista believes that the Stormwater Low Impact Development Ordinance will benefit the residents of our community and the City of Los Angeles by replenishing groundwater supplies, improving the quality of surface water runoff, stabilize natural stream characteristics, preserve natural site characteristics and minimize downstream impacts especially the water quality of our local beaches,
Therefore, the Mar Vista Community Council supports the City of Los Angeles Stormwater Low Impact Development Ordinance.
Thank You,
Albert Olson
Chair
Mar Vista Community Council
Board of Directors

Sign Up for the Green Living Workshop on Sunday!

Stop by the Green Booth Sunday to sign up for the FREE 6 week Green Living Workshop that starts January 28th!

Nancy Barba from Sustainable Works will be our guest to answer questions and take sign ups for the work shop! More products and resources are contributing discount codes for graduates of the class - LifeSource whole house water filters is the most recent addition!

Over 50 of your neighbors have already signed up. This is a great chance to meet neighbors who share your passion for making a difference environmentally. Start 2010 by joining us to learn what we can do and meet others on the same path!