12450 Barbara Avenue

I am so excited to be Chair of the revitalized Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase for 2018 and hope you will visit my garden (front and back are open). Reps from the LADWP will also have a table talking about all the great rebates that are available through the city (cash for turf, irrigation, free trees, etc.).
As you can see from the "before" shot, when I bought the house in 2013, it had a boring lawn, some roses here and there with no beds, pavers, shrubs or drought-tolerant plantings. That blank slate was great in many ways as I could create my own vision. But it also produced in me a horrible period of paralysis. I didn't know what to do and felt overwhelmed. Here's my biggest tip if you find yourself in a similar situation: PINTEREST ROCKS!!! I just devoured hundreds of images of sustainable gardens and pared down what might work for me. And I recalled many of the gardens I had visited on previous Mar Vista Garden Showcases. I was so lucky that a wonderful landscape designer named Michael Todoran lives in my neighborhood and I hired him to create the actual plan for my front garden. Then my longtime gardener Henriis Caballero took over and did the plantings, created the porous fence, installed the drip irrigation system and hopseed perimeter, and laid down the decomposed granite walkways.

Beau Finnegan loves his front garden 

The front yard's half-moon pathway separates beds of echium (Pride of Madeira), society garlic, various sages, butterfly bush, night-blooming iris, milkweed, and Eastern redbud, olive and Jacaranda trees. My sustainable garden dream came true with lots of help...I wish the same for you.

Before shot of front

Backyard "secret garden" 

12537 Barbara Avenue

What does a gardener do when there is a dominating existing element at a property?  Case in point is this homeowner's twin palm trees in her front garden, visible for many miles around.  She planted around the trees, inserting aloe, firestick and agave into the overall plant selection.  A perimeter of westringia in front and artfully arranged paths of pea gravel complete the look.  

The back yard is a zen oasis, with succulents, pea gravel paths, private spaces for reflection and plenty of seating to enjoy the splendor.  The entire space is hand watered when needed but plant selection was guided by low (or practically no) water requirements.

12531 Caswell Avenue

When a visitor from the East Coast first saw the giant cactus in our front yard, she burst out laughing. It’s not something you see everyday, or maybe ever, if you’re not from around here. It’s one of the things we really enjoy about our garden — that the plants that grow well here are so
varied and interesting.

A friend told us that this plant is technically not a cactus. We still don’t know its actual name, or the names of many of the plants in our garden. When we moved to this house, we found some beautiful, but neglected, plants tucked around the perimeter of the big lawn in the backyard. We decided to move them into the front yard, where they would have more room to thrive. We supplemented them with a small box of cuttings from a friend’s drought-tolerant garden and plants we bought from Theodore Payne and other nurseries. Just about everything was small when we started the garden in 2014, then we propagated plants as they grew. Later, we added a California pepper tree and a pink trumpet tree, which was free, courtesy of the City Plants Parkway Tree Program. They even came out and planted it!

We also took advantage of a turf removal rebate program, which helped us offset the cost of hiring a landscaping company to tear out the lawn and put in plants and drip irrigation. Our water bill was reduced dramatically after we ditched the lawn and sprinklers, yet our garden is more colorful than ever. It’s our little tribute to Joshua Tree, the Huntington Library Desert Garden, and all the great drought-tolerant gardens in LA!

12520 Caswell Avenue

Several years ago, we decided to get rid of our lawn and put in sustainable plants, purchased in Moreno Valley at Adam Hall's Nursery. We added a pathway up to our home through our new garden and love the colors and textures of our yard. The front garden is comprised of succulents and two wonderful trees, an olive and a Palo Verde, instantly recognizable by its gorgeous green trunk. Additionally, we built a small berm and added large scale rocks for added interest. The recent rains have led to an explosion of some of our bigger cacti, some of which are taking on other-worldly dimensions.



While most things have come in beautifully, we have had some frustration with our persnickety dymondia.  It continues to be a challenge by refusing to fill in the parkway area fully, but we are letting it come in at its own pace.  That's part of the fun of having a sustainable garden, isn't it -- working with a garden's evolution and developing patience to see where the garden wants to take us. We look forward to seeing what else might happen in our garden in the coming weeks.

A spectacular Palo Verde tree

12517 Mitchell

This is our drought-tolerant turf replacement project. We added a flagstone walkway to the front door, with an open area to enjoy our morning cup of coffee. We replaced the sprinkler system on the main part of the yard with drip irrigation, and plan to do the same to the parkway and driveway strip when time and budget allow.

We irrigate once a week, when necessary. We use wood chip mulch to retain moisture and provide nutrients, and we apply compost tea seasonally. Our garden is designed to attract monarch butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds and provides some of our favorite foods and herbs.

Colors are chosen to suggest the iconic California sunsets. Our 3-year old garden is a work-in-progress, as we discover which plants do well and which do not, and as we take inspiration from neighboring gardens during our morning and evening dog walks. We are delighted to share our gardening journey with our neighbors, many of whom have taken the time to stop and chat, appreciating our contribution to the neighborhood.

12511 Mitchell Avenue

Now!!!

A large vegetable garden was something we had dreamt of having for some time. We began visualizing what we wanted in our yard and garden about five years ago which was such a delightful process. Books, magazines, trips to various nurseries and attending local garden tours provided plenty of inspiration. Keeping clippings from magazines of things we liked and taking photos when someone else's garden delighted us helped solidify our ideas.

John Tikotsky and Associates was our landscape architect and R&R Landscape Services was our contractor. Both firms did incredible work. John is gem. We wanted to be urban farmers and reduce our impact on the earth at the same time. We removed all but a sliver of grass in the front and back yards, converting to a drip irrigation system, installing a smart watering system that adjusts to seasonal temperature changes and planting low to medium-low water usage plants. We minimized water loss by using mulch, which also eventually breaks down and enriches the soil. 

Two years ago our basic design was completed and we began planting seasonal vegetables, berries and herbs. This reduced our carbon footprint even more, because rather than a trip to the store to buy vegetables, we simply walked to the front yard. The next year we added blueberry bushes and fruit trees. Every year we work on a new section of the garden. This year we are planning to add low water and native plants around the perimeter of the front garden and get rain barrels. We maintain a completely organic gardening system. 

Front produce garden in progress... 

Soil is enriched with compost we make from yard clippings and kitchen scraps. We also recycle kitchen waste in our worm bin. The resulting worm castings are an incredible garden soil food. Our focus is on growing healthy soil with the faith that healthy plants will follow. Each season we learn something new from the garden and discover new varieties to try. Our garden provides us with tremendous joy and bounty!

Starting point...

3379 Stewart

GET THE INSIDE SCOOP ON A BRAND NEW GARDEN.  See how the site plan was devised, what plants were selected and how the garden owners worked with experts on every choice to make their sustainable garden dream come true.  This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to see sustainable garden design and execution.    

Hi MVGGS visitors, we're Julia and Zach and six-year-old Roman, all of whom love gardens.  We have lived in the Mar Vista neighborhood for 10 years and bought a home here six years ago. It had a sweet English garden look when we bought it with a big green lawn and a white picket fence. A few years ago we decided to let our lawn go and stopped watering it with dreams of transforming it into a water-wise garden. Our brown lawn was dreary and we knew that it was time to do something about it. Julia began a vision board of ocean-friendly landscapes and created a Pinterest garden board.   

Site Plan 

Recently, our front yard was selected as the home makeover for UCLA’s Extension Landscape Architecture course “Building a Garden Ecology with California Natives," taught by UCLA Ecology Professor Alison Lipman, director of environmental non-profit SELVA International, and Steve Williams of Surfrider Ocean Friendly Gardens and Selva EcoGardens. Steve also works as a conservation biologist at Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains. The challenge was to transform a relatively small front yard into an ocean-friendly CA native garden which also allows space for play and relaxation.  We chose a drought-tolerant so cal native zen playscape from the concepts submitted by 25 students. The team of students removed all grass and existing plants and replaced all that with a rain garden, pollinator garden, natural playscape and gorgeous all so cal native plants.

When we couldn't find the perfect water feature Zach designed a gorgeous fountain out of a perfect boulder and made a solar fountain in an afternoon. We also added big colorful boulders around the rain garden for our son to play on. We have plans to put in a zip line and nature-inspired climbing structure for our son's play corner. So far, the yard has been attracting all kinds of birds, bees, and butterflies!  

The garden was installed last December so is only four months old. The plants are still growing their roots now so are still small above ground, but we think it is important to highlight that establishment of a native garden requires a little patience. The plants establish best from 1-gallon containers.  A popular saying about native gardens is, "The first year they sleep, the second they creep, and the third they leap!" 

Steve Williams will be with us in the garden with info about Selva EcoGardens and Surfrider Ocean Friendly Gardens! We will have free low flow shower heads and sink aerators from LADWP for folks in their service area.  

Plan provided options for water and light features

Here are some of the CA native plants you will find in our garden:

• Purple sage
• Hummingbird Sage
• Woolly Bluecurls
• CA buckwheat
• CA fuchsia
• Carmel Sur manzanita
• Yankee Point ceanothus
• Creeping red fescue
• CA wild rose
• Narrow-leaved milkweed

Selva International

Surfrider Ocean Friendly Gardens

Selva EcoGardens 

12300 Dewey

This garden has been a 10-year labor of love. Design launched by replacing the ugly, skinny concrete path to the front porch with beautiful red-hued pavers interlaced with dymondia and some red brick to tie into the home exterior. 

This garden stop is a must for those with corner properties, as the evolving work added wrap around stairs to the entrance and multiple paths throughout the large space creating a thoroughly "walkable" space where you can appreciate all angles of the design.

Some brick was added to the limestone paver design to tie in with the home exterior.  But for some time, that was it...the law was still there.  Then the drought hit so it was time to make the front yard drought tolerant. Little by little, the lawn was replaced with dry stream beds and low water plantings.  In the backyard, the lawn was removed and replaced with drought-tolerant plantings, and a mini bike path was installed for the grandkids. There is also a pondless waterfall built into an existing planter.

11969 Woodbine Street

Inspired by prior Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase events, we resolved that 2015 was the year in which we would remove the old lawn and transform the outdoor living space into a drought-tolerant oasis. The result has cut water usage by more than 50%, and provides interesting colors and textures throughout the year.  Maintenance time in the garden is about the same as before, but gone is the noise of the lawnmower, replaced by the appreciative humming of bees.

Master Gardener Sara Saxonberg will be with us at our garden...so be sure to stop by. And Landscape Designer Linda Levine will be visiting as well.

Resources: 

Rose in Bloom Gardens

David Kent, deck contractor

Go Pavers hardscape

Volt Lighting LED landscape lighting 

11615 Francis Place

This is a DIY designed garden (2010) with drought-tolerant landscaping.  Watering is minimal and only really consistent during the hottest months of summer. 

A variety of succulents, ground covers, and agave provide visual interest and a beautiful verdant frame for the home.  

3424 Keeshen Drvie

If you think ultra modern home design can't also feature drought-tolerant, well considered and beautiful, inviting gardens, then be sure to visit this home on Keeshen Drive. It's a stunner!

This garden was designed to enhance the bold aesthetic of the modern style of the house. Homeowners called upon landscape designer Linda Rose of Rose-in-Bloom to create a sustainable garden that would prevent the "sterile" look of many modern style homes.  Plants were chosen to soften the hard edges and make the entry warm and inviting (drought-tolerant all stars dymondia, kangaroo paw, and agave, among them).  

A weeping mulberry is a touch of whimsy and something special for the homeowners' two little girls.

The mulberry and the red bark Arbutus Marina tree ("strawberry") are the only plantings that need regular watering so bubblers were installed.  While taking care of the needs of these trees, this form of irrigation does not overwhelm the neighboring drought-tolerant plantings, which are watered much less frequently with drip irrigation sprayers.