Houzz. March 22, 2024. By Marianne Lipanovich: Permeable paving offers an alternative to concrete or other solid materials you might consider for the walking, relaxing or dining areas in your yard… To get the ideas flowing, check out these 15 spaces on Houzz that feature a variety of permeable paving options. Read More
Author Archives: Danielle Killian
Tour Private LA Gardens
LA Times. March 19, 2024. By Jeanette Marantos: With all the recent rain, 2024 is shaping up to be a fabulous year for flowers, not just in the wild but also in private gardens around Southern California. Lucky for garden enviers, many of those gates will be opening wide this spring as part of the annual fundraising tradition known as garden tours. Read More
Earn Tree Rebates
give Los Angeles much-needed shade, and earn up to $500
March 2024. Few decisions have greater impact on home value, fire safety, and quality of life than the decision to plant a tree. This week, the Municipal Water District announced substantial new rebates for trees, further amplifying the return on investment of planting.
The Great News
The District now offers $100 per tree for up to 5 trees. It’s guidelines are wise. Invasive trees, identified by the California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC), are not eligible, nor are fire-bomb palms or those planted too large to adapt well.
Our Favorites
Can you guess our short list of favorites? Our Houzz article on Iconic LA Trees and our Pinterest Board of dreamy LA Street Trees contain inspiration.
Follow FormLA Landscaping’s board Blooming Now: August in LA on Pinterest.
Here is a cheat sheet of favorites by purpose:
- Blooms + Seasonal Shade: We adore the edible blooms of Western Redbud and Palo Verde. Desert Willow‘s drama also entices us. Each of these trees loses leaves to allow sunshine and heat through in the rainy season.
- Shade + Fire Defense: No one beats our Coast Live Oak‘s dense, leathery leaves for deep shade or her ember blocking prowess.
- Expansive Shade: The hand-sized leaves of native Sycamores, added to the expanse of their canopies provides organic AC to park sized spaces.
Our Questions
We have these insights now, yet, we still have a few questions. For example, hedges do not earn grants, yet a few native shrubs like this California Lilac and Catalina Cherry can be pruned as hedges or trees. What are your questions? Let us know!