Yes, Southern California experienced lots of rain this winter and the long drought may be ending, but that does not mean you should keep that water-thirsty lawn in front of your house.
Gibson garden (c) Elisa Leonelli
In 2009, when we started this blog, we were amazed at how many Reynier Village residents had replaced their turf with drought tolerant grasses and native plants in their front yard and parkway.
Many more residents took that step during the past few years, since LADWP (Los Angeles Department of Water and Power) started their cash for grass program in 2009 and raised the rebate amount in 2014. So many people applied that those funds were quickly exhausted, and the Turf Removal Program waitlist was closed in November 2015.
Check SoCal Water $mart for available rebates on sprinkler nozzles, rain barrels, weather based Irrigation controllers, etc. or call 800-506 9073
Gibson garden (c) Elisa Leonelli
To get inspired about the kinds of landscape and plants you may choose to grow in your garden, take a look at the photos of the
Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour
Saturday and Sunday April 1 & 2, 10am to 5pm.
Search the LADWP Interactive database:
California Friendly Landscaping in Los Angeles
Or take a walk around Reynier Village and see what your neighbors have done.
Gibson parkway (c) Elisa Leonelli
We admired this front yard and parkway on Gibson, so we asked Lauren how she did it. “The yard used to be all grass. A couple of years ago I applied for the turf removal rebate and was accepted. I spoke to a few landscape artists, but they were asking far more than I was willing to pay, so happily my gardener Ernesto agreed to remove the grass and replace it with California native/drought tolerant plants: : Blue Finger, Fire Sticks, Aloe, Aeonium, Variegatum, etc. He did everything himself with his crew, I just gave him the specifications from LADWP’s rebate program (must be CA native, no rocks/gravel, sprinkler-drip system, etc). It really has come in quite nicely this Spring after the recent rains.”
Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli