Featured in The Argonaut
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made with the garden's Meyer lemons
After having an expensive, water-thirsty garden for thirty-five years - and because they recently retired on a fixed income - these homeowners wanted to go drought tolerant, sustainable and native without losing beauty and lushness.
The Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase tours inspired them. They wanted to join others and give back to their community which has been so good to them. Through the tours they found John Bonny of Cultivate Garden Design. He designed, then oversaw the whole process from the drip and bubbler irrigation system to the actual installation and planting.
John showed them that they could have everything they wanted - save money on their water bill, low maintenance, create plant diversity and impact with color, capture rain water in their gravel POPPY rain garden, grow edibles and maintain sustainability - without having to sacrifice "the feel" and look of what they wanted.
The garden has a Mediterranean flare with ARBUTUS MARINA trees and their deep red/brown trunks, use of vibrant colors such as intense orange from the fire stick plant, deep and light Australian gray-greens, chartreuse, deep magenta with touches of black AEONIUM succulents all juxtapositioned perfectly to create a garden sanctuary.
Butterflies and birds enhance the total atmosphere which is already infused with lovely fragrances from the potted herb plants and the citrus and bay laurel trees. The homeowners sit on their teak bench tucked under the garden's centerpiece SWAN HILL OLIVE while feeling the gentle Mar Vista ocean breezes and warm sun on their faces, watching their grandchild play on the gorgeous boulder they now call IAN'S ROCK.
They would love to invite people to visit their garden because it is not just another pretty landscape, it truly is an experience. They'll serve ice cold lemonade with lemons freshly picked from their organic MEYER LEMON DWARF TREE. Their backyard and driveway will be open for people to mingle and talk about their experiences on the 2015 tour.
The homeowners would like to share their journey and encourage people to get on board now to save money, create beauty, live more sustainably and help make this a better world for our grandchildren. It is never too late. Garden designer John Bonny of Cultivate Garden Design will be present to answer questions and for those who stop by will be holding a raffle to donate to one lucky winner a free design consultation valued at $500.
