See How 3 California Gardens Hit the Mark With Native Plants
Grasses, wildflowers and googly eyes are just some of the features on the 2018 Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour
Annie Thornton
April 8, 2018
Houzz Editorial Staff
There’s no single way to design a native garden, as the following three projects reveal. One leans more modern, with massed grasses and trees filling out the yard; another pairs an assortment of natives with a low-water lawn; and the third feels more like a natural meadow, with wildflowers and boulders framing a bright blue trellis inspired by Frida Kahlo’s house.
All three are new additions to this year’s Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour, which celebrates its 15th year on April 14 and 15. The tour is open to the public and features 45 private and public gardens throughout Los Angeles County. All of the gardens emphasize native plants, along with wildlife-friendly and environmentally friendly features.
2018 Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour
Location: 45 residential and public gardens in Los Angeles County
When: April 14 and 15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $30 to $35. More info
All three are new additions to this year’s Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour, which celebrates its 15th year on April 14 and 15. The tour is open to the public and features 45 private and public gardens throughout Los Angeles County. All of the gardens emphasize native plants, along with wildlife-friendly and environmentally friendly features.
2018 Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour
Location: 45 residential and public gardens in Los Angeles County
When: April 14 and 15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $30 to $35. More info
1. Wild California With a Touch of Suburbia
Who lives here: Glen Boldt and Dana Garcetti
Location: Santa Monica, California
Size: Lot is 8,000 square feet (743 square meters)
Designer: Original design by Sasha Tarnopolsky of Dry Design; recent updates by Krystal Chang
In Santa Monica, the front yard of this Spanish Revival bungalow features a mix of wildlife-attracting native wildflowers, shrubs and grasses, planted in a more wild, natural style often associated with native gardens.
The homeowners grow edibles — including sorrel, rhubarb, cilantro, parsley, tomatoes, radishes, rosemary, tarragon, chives, scallions and strawberries — in custom concrete planters.
Who lives here: Glen Boldt and Dana Garcetti
Location: Santa Monica, California
Size: Lot is 8,000 square feet (743 square meters)
Designer: Original design by Sasha Tarnopolsky of Dry Design; recent updates by Krystal Chang
In Santa Monica, the front yard of this Spanish Revival bungalow features a mix of wildlife-attracting native wildflowers, shrubs and grasses, planted in a more wild, natural style often associated with native gardens.
The homeowners grow edibles — including sorrel, rhubarb, cilantro, parsley, tomatoes, radishes, rosemary, tarragon, chives, scallions and strawberries — in custom concrete planters.
Heuchera maxima in flower
Buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides) — a North American native prairie grass — grows in another part of the yard. “This grass area is a useful setting for meals on the lawn, as well as throwing the football, and provides significant water savings over conventional turf,” homeowner Glen Boldt says.
Favorite plant. “Catalina ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus) trees along the south edge of our property are unique and a useful screen,” Boldt says.
Native Catalina ironwood trees feature distinct peeling red bark and delicate, fern-like foliage. It’s an extremely drought-tolerant tree that can withstand the toughest spots in the garden — areas that are sunny, dry and hot.
Secret to its success. The yard is broken down into smaller outdoor spaces, which all feature distinct styles and atmospheres. “The front yard starts out on the left side as more minimal, with square pavers and concrete raised beds, and then it becomes like a wild meadow as you move to the right,” landscape designer Krystal Chang says.
Homeowner takeaway. The garden required some initial watering and tending to upfront, but it’s pretty self-sufficient now that it’s established. “Nature is very happy in our garden,” homeowner Dana Garcetti says. “Ecosystems thrive in our garden. Hummingbirds visit, bees buzz.”
See more photos and this garden’s complete plant list
Homeowner takeaway. The garden required some initial watering and tending to upfront, but it’s pretty self-sufficient now that it’s established. “Nature is very happy in our garden,” homeowner Dana Garcetti says. “Ecosystems thrive in our garden. Hummingbirds visit, bees buzz.”
See more photos and this garden’s complete plant list
2. Modern Casual at the Beach
Who lives here: Husband Nick Tan and wife Michelle Ereckson; their children, Julian, age 5, and Rose, 4; and their dog, Seeley, and cat, Jin-Jin
Location: San Pedro, California
Size: 2,500 square feet (232 square meters) combined front yard and backyard
Designers: Tan, who is a certified landscape contractor, and Ereckson
This coastal garden features a slightly different take on native planting, opting for abundant trees and beach grasses instead of wildflowers and flowering shrubs.
Metal accents and reclaimed objects (including a bench made from reclaimed redwood pieces, two fountains made from concrete sinks and a wheel-rim fire pit) create a modern industrial vibe.
Who lives here: Husband Nick Tan and wife Michelle Ereckson; their children, Julian, age 5, and Rose, 4; and their dog, Seeley, and cat, Jin-Jin
Location: San Pedro, California
Size: 2,500 square feet (232 square meters) combined front yard and backyard
Designers: Tan, who is a certified landscape contractor, and Ereckson
This coastal garden features a slightly different take on native planting, opting for abundant trees and beach grasses instead of wildflowers and flowering shrubs.
Metal accents and reclaimed objects (including a bench made from reclaimed redwood pieces, two fountains made from concrete sinks and a wheel-rim fire pit) create a modern industrial vibe.
Mass plantings of sand dune sedge (Carex pansa), native to coastal dunes and meadows of the West Coast, create a beachy vibe — and are an attractive, wildlife-supporting lawn — for this hip coastal bungalow. ‘Canyon Prince’ giant wild rye (Elymus condensatus ‘Canyon Prince’) grows in Cor-Ten planters along the front of the porch, adding height and more texture to the space — and color that pops against the black exterior.
Favorite plant. Mature California sycamore trees (Platanus racemosa) grow in the backyard. “We planted them as little saplings eight years ago, and they’ve quickly grown to anchor the space and provide dappled shade and a feeling of being nestled when you’re in the garden,” Tan says.
Standout feature. A salvaged semi-trailer steel wheel-rim fire pit is Tan’s favorite of the yard’s many reclaimed elements. A poured-in-place concrete bench frames it.
Homeowner takeaway. “The garden has [a] serene, lyric quality that changes with the seasons. In spring it comes to life with the blooms of heuchera and shade of new sycamore leaves. In fall the trees and grapevines lose their leaves, and you can feel the garden as it retreats into the stillness of winter, only to re-awaken the next spring,” Tan says.
See more photos and this garden’s complete plant list
Homeowner takeaway. “The garden has [a] serene, lyric quality that changes with the seasons. In spring it comes to life with the blooms of heuchera and shade of new sycamore leaves. In fall the trees and grapevines lose their leaves, and you can feel the garden as it retreats into the stillness of winter, only to re-awaken the next spring,” Tan says.
See more photos and this garden’s complete plant list
3. Playful Wonderland Inspired by Travel
Who lives here: Claire L. Evans and Jona Bechtolt; and their cats, Issey and Chip
Location: Highland Park, California
Size: 1,050 square feet (98 square meters)
Designer: Lake Sharp of Array
“The coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) is our star,” landscape designer Lake Sharp says of this backyard in Highland Park. It’s “a California treasure, and it anchors the whole design of the yard.”
Tiered platforms feature a mixture of wildflower plantings, with a winding pathway connecting various outdoor gathering spaces and traversing a newly built swale. “There’s a native plant to behold from every angle,” Sharp says.
Who lives here: Claire L. Evans and Jona Bechtolt; and their cats, Issey and Chip
Location: Highland Park, California
Size: 1,050 square feet (98 square meters)
Designer: Lake Sharp of Array
“The coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) is our star,” landscape designer Lake Sharp says of this backyard in Highland Park. It’s “a California treasure, and it anchors the whole design of the yard.”
Tiered platforms feature a mixture of wildflower plantings, with a winding pathway connecting various outdoor gathering spaces and traversing a newly built swale. “There’s a native plant to behold from every angle,” Sharp says.
Trips to Spain and Mexico City inspired some of the colors and features of the native garden. “The intense blue of the awning is as close as we could get to Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul,” homeowner Claire Evans says.
“I wanted the garden to feel colorful, lived-in and silly,” she says. Googly eyes are hidden on some of the rocks. “When the wildflowers bloom in the spring, it’s like a wonderland,” she says.
“I wanted the garden to feel colorful, lived-in and silly,” she says. Googly eyes are hidden on some of the rocks. “When the wildflowers bloom in the spring, it’s like a wonderland,” she says.
Favorite plant. Evans admires the wildflowers. “We seeded some California poppies (Eschscholzia californica), tidy tips (Layia platyglossa) and lupine last year, and now the garden goes absolutely bonkers with color in March and April. We couldn’t stop it from happening if we tried,” she says.
Standout feature. The backyard’s slight terracing. “It makes it feel much bigger than it is, and adds dimension to the view out of our window every morning,” Evans says.
Secret to its success. “Always and forever, native plants, both for design and maintenance,” Sharp says. “Not only are there so many to choose from, they want to live here, they thrive here.”
Standout feature. The backyard’s slight terracing. “It makes it feel much bigger than it is, and adds dimension to the view out of our window every morning,” Evans says.
Secret to its success. “Always and forever, native plants, both for design and maintenance,” Sharp says. “Not only are there so many to choose from, they want to live here, they thrive here.”
Homeowner takeaway. “I really enjoy living alongside the life cycles of these plants. They flower, they fall back, they flower again, and with their bloom come the pollinators, the bumblebees, birds, and butterflies — to say nothing of squirrels and lizards stalking around,” Evans says. “I love seeing the same plants and creatures out in the chaparral when I’m hiking in the San Gabriels and the Santa Monica Mountains. It’s like seeing friends. It makes me feel so connected to the Southern California landscape.”
See more photos and this garden’s complete plant list
See more photos and this garden’s complete plant list
Getting Started With Native Plants
Landscape designer Krystal Chang offers some tips to help you get started growing native plants.
Native Plants 101
How to Find the Right Native Plants for Your Yard
Find a landscape professional in your area
Landscape designer Krystal Chang offers some tips to help you get started growing native plants.
- Find your local native plant society. They will often have plant guides and can be helpful in answering questions.
- It’s always best to see the native plants in person — look for a botanical garden with native plants that you can visit.
- Start by picking just a few plants you love, and keep things simple. Don’t feel like you need to try every plant, which can make a visual jumble.
- Think about what matters to you. Is it color? Fragrance? Bees and birds? No maintenance? You can often get lots of these in one, but it gives you an entry point.
- Be patient. Natives can be slow-growing at the beginning. Gardens are always a work in progress.
Native Plants 101
How to Find the Right Native Plants for Your Yard
Find a landscape professional in your area
David Johnson has over 25 years of experience in residential and light commercial design and projects. Read More
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Took the garden tour on Sunday and visited many wonderful native/drought gardens. Saw the one above designed by Lake Sharp and the home that Lake owns and also designed for herself. Please do a feature on her garden, it was the highlight of the 6 places I saw....
I second that, tahoe5028. I would love to see that designer’s own garden!
In ecology the word "endemic" means "native to" but it also means "restricted to a location". When collecting plants from the wild, it's better to collect seed than to dig up plants. Transplanting is iffy. Look for large groups of plants from which to collect seed and wait for the flower head or seed pod to be mostly dry. Make sure you can provide similar cultural requirements in your garden as the wild plants had. Do not give up on your seed. Most annual plants will come up the first year, but I have had perennials take up to two years to germinate. Woody plants can take even longer. I often give them an undisturbed bed or container and wait them out.