Enjoy cleaner, safer, healthier outdoor spaces. LEED® certified professional Cassy Aoyagi and certified water manager Kirk Aoyagi provide tips for addressing landscape issues with sustainable practices and products.
Earn Rebates with Water Conserving Devices
Cassy's Top Tips
New Landscaping Regulations
Plant Exotics
Water-wise Fountains and Pools
Outdoor Water Conservation
LEED® Certified Green Roofs
Natural Post-Fire Slope Retention
Gathering (Holiday) Gifts from the Garden
Understand the plants that provide the look, feel and utility of more common non-natives. This series by Cassy Aoyagi illustrates ways to exchange wet for dry growers and highlights the advantages of various plants.
Rocking the Rock Garden: Dianthus Chinensis vs.Armeria Maritima
Holiday Color: Heteromeles arbutfolia (Toyon) vs. Cotoneaster lacteus
Sunny-Loving Focal Points: Digitalis vs. Penstemon
Under Conifer Purple Posies: Campanula v. Viola
Sun-loving groundcovers: Verbena lilacina and Lantana
Shade-loving groundcover: Satureja Douglasii and Bacopa Suteria
Splash of fall color: Zauschneria and Salvia Splendens
Privacy hedges: Adenostoma fasciculatum and Pyracantha
New grants and incentives for sustainable landscaping practices that save water emerge frequently. Check these sights or contact FormLA for information about grants and incentives in your locality.
Southern California Metropolitan Water District (Be Water Wise)
Santa Monica Sustainable Landscape Grant Program
Grant Funding for your Sustainable Landscape
Native Plants:
Theodore Payne Foundation
California Native Plant Link Exchange
Green Building:
USGBC Green Home Guide
Global Green Resources
Fire-Safe Landscapes:
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
Los Angeles County Fire Department
Ocean Friendly Gardens:
Surfrider Foundation
Local Programs and Oversight:
LA and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council
City of Santa Monica