Archive for December, 2009

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (and breakfast, lunch….)?

December 23rd, 2009
hummingbird visiting Salvia spathacea (Hummingbird Sage)

hummingbird visiting Salvia spathacea (Hummingbird Sage)

Let’s say you do decide to remove your lawn and replace it with a gorgeous mix of climate appropriate plants.  You will in effect be saying “hello nature, come on over.” Your garden will now be a welcome habitat to birds and beneficial insects alike.  In fact, if you plant California natives, you’ll really be helping out since 90% or more of these insects are dependent on the native plant species they have co-evolved with.  Your actions would help sustain a complex network between plants, animals, fungi and microbes that make up our native ecosystem.

Do you like scent in the garden?  Well few gardens rival the aroma of a Mediterranean garden.  Why you might ask?  Well, many of these plants give off scents in the hot mid-day sun to protect themselves from dehydration.  The oils contained in the foliage of many of the Mediterranean and natives plants allow them to perfume the air.  The Salvia species (in particular White Sage and Cleveland Sage) and Monardella species (Butterfly mint) as well as the Lavenders come to mind.  Here’s a few links to fragrant natives:  Fragrant California Natives Fragrant California Native Herbs

categories: Habitat | no comments »

Where did all the green carpet come from?

December 23rd, 2009

Carex pansa lawn

Carex pansa lawn

Lawns have become such a permanent fixture in our collective psyche that it’s hard to imagine a time when everyone didn’t have their plot of green.  We can thank the wealthy, well traveled Americans in the early 1900’s who returned from England with visions of estates with sweeping green lawns.  The lawn soon became a status symbol of wealth, for only the wealthy could afford to maintain a plot of grass just for looks not for grazing.  If you consider how different our climate is from England’s and the East Coast, for that matter, it’s easy to see how out of place big lawns are in Southern California.  Replace your lawn and suddenly fertilizing, de-thatching, aerating, overseeding, mowing, lawn pesticides, grass clippings, constant water, etc… are a thing of the past.  If you’re still on the fence about going with a lawn alternative you may want to do the water usage calculations of your current lawn.  Imagine the savings in money and resources with less pollution and chemicals to boot!  Check out more scarey facts about lawns.

We can replace our lawns with ground cover, gravel, decomposed granite, permeable pavers, etc…  Santa Monica has a great description of many ground cover alternatives to lawn.  And for tips on how to get rid of your lawn so you can plant something else check out “Four Ways to Remove Your Lawn“

categories: Lowering Water Usage | no comments »