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Gardens that are Featuring Contemporary Art

Garden 1 in Beverly Hills Garden 1 in Beverly Hills Garden 1 in Beverly Hills Garden 1 in Beverly Hills Garden 1 in Beverly Hills Garden 1 in Beverly Hills

Garden 1 in Beverly Hills

Established over 23 years ago, this large and magnificent landscape includes many mature natives as well as more recent plantings, all of which attract legions of hummingbirds, songbirds, insects and other wildlife. A steep hillside showcases plants for slope stabilization and erosion control. Other garden features include a dry streambed, several bird-friendly water features, a newly constructed hillside staircase, a fine succulent collection, and an exemplary cat run that give felines time outside while keeping the birds (and cats) safe. Certified by the Xerces Society as a Pollinator Habitat.
Homeowner designed with assistance from Roger Weld.

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Garden 2 in Mid-City Garden 2 in Mid-City Garden 2 in Mid-City Garden 2 in Mid-City Garden 2 in Mid-City Garden 2 in Mid-City

Garden 2 in Mid-City

12,000 sq. ft. of a wide variety of native flora, including several rare bulbs, surround a carefully restored 1910 Craftsman-style house. The owners dub their aesthetic “California Apocalyptica: where the native plants emerge from the ruins of society.” Ingenious use of detritus left on the property, found objects, and concrete rubble merge with showy annuals and perennials, poolside formal native hedges, a koi pond, and a recently added urbanite cliff and running creek planted with unique aquatic natives. This owner-designed garden, started in 2008, has created a trend for natives in their historic Oxford Square neighborhood.

Photos: Philip Otto Photography

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Garden 7 in Brentwood Garden 7 in Brentwood Garden 7 in Brentwood Garden 7 in Brentwood Garden 7 in Brentwood Garden 7 in Brentwood

Garden 7 in Brentwood

An ascending drive leads to a three-year-old 2,000 sq. ft. front yard of sage, buckwheat, penstemon, and other drought-tolerant natives that provide color, support wildlife, and tolerate heavy soil. Enhancing the scene is a venerable coast live oak that elegantly overhangs the driveway. Drip irrigation and a weather-smart controller complement green elements of the home. Design: Nancy Cipes and Margaret Oakley Otto of Oakley Gardens

Photos: Philip Otto Photography

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Garden 10 in Santa Monica Garden 10 in Santa Monica Garden 10 in Santa Monica Garden 10 in Santa Monica Garden 10 in Santa Monica Garden 10 in Santa Monica

Garden 10 in Santa Monica

A yarrow parkway and front lawn lead to a meticulously restored century-old home. The young, 3,900 sq. ft. landscape features native plants that provide a wildlife sanctuary, a Monarch butterfly waystation, an outdoor gathering space for poetry readings, edible plants, a small biological pond, permeable paving, and recycled hardscape materials. Features subsurface irrigation, rain barrels, and infiltration pits to control run-off.
Design: FormLA Landscaping

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Garden 13 in Del Rey Garden 13 in Del Rey Garden 13 in Del Rey Garden 13 in Del Rey Garden 13 in Del Rey Garden 13 in Del Rey

Garden 13 in Del Rey

Mature California lilac (ceanothus), manzanita, and toyon anchor a front yard that includes numerous sages, globe mallows, and a fabulous penstemon collection. This small, casual 19-year-old garden attracts hummingbirds, migratory warblers, bees, rare insects, and butterflies. The backyard recently underwent sweeping changes. Under the canopy of a mature palo verde the owners removed yards of concrete and planted a modernist native landscape with a ceanothus screen. Both yards are owner designed and maintained, and contain over 95% California natives.

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Garden 16 in Manhattan Beach Garden 16 in Manhattan Beach Garden 16 in Manhattan Beach Garden 16 in Manhattan Beach Garden 16 in Manhattan Beach Garden 16 in Manhattan Beach

Garden 16 in Manhattan Beach

This young, 4,000 sq. ft. landscape combines features of a traditional California mission- style garden with modern elements to complement a 1925 Spanish Revival-Style house.
A palette of predominately California native plants, many endemic to the Channel Islands, provides year-round interest and wildlife habitat. A permeable driveway and walkway, as well as underground infiltration pits, all capture rainwater onsite. Concrete repurposed from the former driveway provides ample garden seating and low walls for a productive kitchen garden.
Design: Oakley Gardens

Photos: Philip Otto Photography

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Garden 17 in Redondo Beach Garden 17 in Redondo Beach Garden 17 in Redondo Beach Garden 17 in Redondo Beach Garden 17 in Redondo Beach

Garden 17 in Redondo Beach

Front and back lawns, removed without the use of chemicals, previously covered 75% of this 2500 sq. ft. landscape. Planted nearly two years ago, the front yard of is an inspirational mix of California coastal prairie and sage scrub designed to move water away from the house, allow for on site percolation, and provide wildlife habitat for native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The backyard mixes shade-tolerant natives with other Mediterranean- climate plants, and features a lovely garden room structure.
Design: Land Matters

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Garden 27 in Pasadena Garden 27 in Pasadena Garden 27 in Pasadena Garden 27 in Pasadena Garden 27 in Pasadena Garden 27 in Pasadena

Garden 27 in Pasadena

The front yard of this nine-year-old, owner-designed 1/3-acre “eclectic green space” includes drought-tolerant native and non-native plants, a dry stream bed beneath an old incense cedar, and a low-care parking strip. Behind the classic Bungalow-style home natives paired with succulents attract pollinators to herbs, vegetables, and mature fruit trees. Recipient of Pasadena Beautiful’s Golden Arrow Award and featured in the Fall 2012 American Bungalow.

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Garden 29 in Pasadena Garden 29 in Pasadena

Garden 29 in Pasadena

Started in 2005, the plants selected for this cottage-style garden with elegant woodland elements provide a certified wildlife habitat, as well as beautiful and serene spaces for human inhabitants to retreat from street noise. Located on a former lakebed, this garden contains plants that tolerate heavy clay soil and features an enchanting outdoor garden room, permeable paving materials, as well as kitchen and cutting gardens.
Design: Terra Design

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Garden 35 in Atwater Village Garden 35 in Atwater Village Garden 35 in Atwater Village Garden 35 in Atwater Village

Garden 35 in Atwater Village

This owner-designed, 6,250 sq. ft. garden was started in 1999 and uses no supplemental water. The cottage/woodland-style front plantings include manzanita, sage, oak, and a fine collection of native succulents. The more formally designed backyard mixes natives with other Mediterranean-climate plants. Both spaces were created for fragrance, wildlife value, water conservation, energy reduction, privacy, and easy maintenance.

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Garden 38 in Burbank Garden 38 in Burbank Garden 38 in Burbank Garden 38 in Burbank Garden 38 in Burbank

Garden 38 in Burbank

This large, cottage-style front yard showcases natives that can thrive in several different microclimates. Planted in 2011, this landscape conserves water, provides year-round color, attracts butterflies and birds, and requires little maintenance. A large porch features a lovely collection of native container plants, including several bulbs.
Homeowner designed with assistance from Eco-Landscape and FormLA.

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