FormLA Landscaping

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FormLA Landscaping

13 Reviews

(Fire) Defensive in the Valley

Nestled deep in the northeast foothills of Los Angeles, this property beautifully demonstrates fire-defensive landscape strategies and materials. Full of California native plants, the garden was featured on LA's iconic native plant garden tour (nativeplantgardentour.org) in 2020. The U.S. Green Building Council's LA Chapter (USGBC-LA) also featured a tour of this property on its wildfire risk reduction forum in 2021.

Country: United States

Others who worked on this project: Lesly Hall Photography, Theodore Payne Foundation

California native chaparral foliage fills the petite front garden. The Western Redbud, ideal for small gardens, bring shade to the front porch and seasonal color to the garden.

Heat-Loving Garden

Even in the middle of summer, the garden's full sun foliage, including White Sage (Salvia apiana) and Red Buckwheat (Eriogonum grande var. rubescens) is vibrant, hydrated and blooming.

Chaparral Summer Blooms

An IdealMow lawn offers pets and children lush, chemical free play spaces. When fire is near, this kind of low, well-hydrated foliage prevents embers from bouncing or rolling toward structures.

Dog-Friendly Garden

A gravel path and concrete patios adjacent to the structures provide defensible space where fire fighters could easily remove embers. They are also delightful places for exploring and viewing the garden.

Paths and Patios

Dense tree canopy and hedges at the back of the property provide deep shade in the summer and can serve as a "catcher's mitt" to protect structures from fire. The Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) to the right of the walkway fills with large, pink, trumpet-like flowers adored by hummingbirds in...

Dense Tree Canopy

A retaining wall supports an elevated al fresco dining space and hedge-side trail. It also provides a fire break between the hedge line, the broader garden and the home.

Retaining Wall and Fire Break

Dense tree canopy and native foliage shade a decomposed granite path and patio at the back of the property - a quiet, private retreat.

Foliage-Wrapped Al Fresco Dining

The shaded, elevated patio is a perfect perch from which to survey the full garden.

Puppy Perch

Lush, leafy and drought tolerant, a garden that holds its hydration in high, dry heat protects the structures it surrounds.

Lush, Leafy Fire-Defense

The garden was well-established when the homeowner commissioned the final touch, a mural depicting California's famous Fried Egg Plant (Matilija Poppy, Romnea coulteri). She found the artists via Beautifearth, a service that connects artists with projects.

Garage Door Mural

Neighbors once had a bird's eye view of the entire backyard space, despite the chain link fence that separated the yards. A lush, leafy hedge now wraps the space.

Chain Link Provides No Privacy

A delightful border of butterfly-filled foliage now wraps an elevated patio in this once boulder-filled space.

Boulder Field Becomes Elevated Patio

Petite traditional lawns left the front porch feeling bare and exposed. Due to differences in sun exposure, the lawns on each side of the front walk needed entirely different maintenance schedules to perform.

Yawn-Worthy Lawn Transforms into Blooming Curb Appeal