Balboa Terrace Natives

This very large corner site was shrouded in tired and thirsty conventional lawn. Really a bland, uninteresting monoculture—impossible to maintain especially in light of our dwindling resources and our growing understanding of sustainable practices.

We chose to approach this project not with the idea that existing lawn is bad, but with respect for what lawn has historically represented: a socially connective tissue. 

Instead of conventional grass requiring endlessly large amounts of water, chemicals and mowing, this lawn conversion shifts to a naturalistic native meadow mix splashed with wildflowers and drought tolerant native shrubs. It was the clients’ desire to be wrapped by a garden attracting native pollinators and beneficial insects. A wildlife photographer, they wanted the opportunity to open windows and doors and feel immediately connected to a coastal native environment.  

The handsome new stone walls, stairs and massive boulders are the architecture containing the loose, coastal sage scrub plant community, holding the landscape together during the dormant months. 

As we continue to grow our acceptance of and appreciation for climate appropriate California gardens, and embrace the paradigm shift, let us graciously bid adieu to our home’s unsustainable velvet robe.