Category Archives: driveby gardens
Long Beach’s illustrious architect Edward Killingsworth
New Year’s Resolution No. 22: Check my hometown newspaper out more often. Included in the Los Angeles Times end-of-year roundup on “The 11 most popular home and garden stories of 2016,” was a piece I had missed that contained some … Continue reading
Posted in design, driveby gardens
Tagged Case Study Homes, Edward Killingsworth, mid-century modern design
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revisiting a local succulent garden
I haven’t revisited the garden I posted about here in person, though I’d love to. But I did find outtakes, photos that, for whatever reason, I didn’t include with the original post, mostly detailed closeups that were repetitive. Some people … Continue reading
beyond the lawn; notes on 2016 LA Garden Conservancy Open Days
Since the 5/7/16 tour, Gov. Jerry Brown surprised us all by announcing that mandatory water restrictions are now suspended except for agriculture. Water use policies will revert back to the local level. So pat yourself on the back for enduring … Continue reading
streetside succulent garden
Some lucky neighborhoods have stimulating examples to study of successful front gardens made without a blade of lawn. This example is in my hometown, Long Beach, Calif, coastal zone 10, western exposure, December 2015, drought-stricken, irrigation restrictions imposed since last … Continue reading
CMU bench/planter at Manaow
I finally found a moment when Manaow’s CMU bench/planter could be investigated minus the usual throngs of people. That window of quiet was around 7 a.m. in the morning, when the only activity at this east end of Broadway was … Continue reading
terraced Spanish Colonial Revival house & garden
For those of you who enjoy gawking at houses and their gardens as much as I do, here’s a look at the house that belongs with this post from September 2014. I don’t think I looked up much from the … Continue reading
traditional with a twist
Here’s another house nearby that warrants a second look and always brings a smile. It’s the traditional front lawn setup with a bit of a twist. All the supporting plants are exclusively dry garden plants, some rare like the cycads. … Continue reading
Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, driveby gardens, Plant Portraits, pots and containers
Tagged cycads, dry gardens, lawns
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Pepper Tree courtyard
Spotted locally around dusk, a front-house courtyard with Pepper Tree (Schinus molle), stone paving “grouted” with Dymondia margaretae. Planting includes euphorbias, agaves, phormiums (or dianella) a small Cercis ‘Forest Pansy,’ and purple irises in bloom near the side gate. There … Continue reading
driveby gardens; sundown on the Miracle Mile
I worked in the “Miracle Mile” stretch of Wilshire Boulevard on Thursday, approximately the 5600 block. In the surrounding neighborhoods, the houses had gardens that looked promising and full of interest, so during a 20-minute lunch I dashed out to … Continue reading
streetside; rainy day house & gardens
(alluding to Joni Mitchell’s Rainy Night House) I recently read that Taylor Swift wanted the part in a movie on Mitchell. I see Swift’s photo all over the Internet, but it wasn’t until Sunday that I finally heard one of … Continue reading
Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bulbs, design, driveby gardens, garden ornament, pots and containers, succulents
Tagged Acacia iteaphylla, Aloe marlothii, Aloe striata, Annie's Annuals & Perennials Nursery, Asphodeline lutea, Big Daddy's Antiques, Big Red Sun, Brahea armata, Dymondia margaretae, International Garden Center, Joni Mitchell's Rainy Night House, Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase, Merwilla plumbea, Mexican Blue Palm, Pedilanthus bracteatus, Scilla natalensis dwarf, Scilla peruviana, Venice
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