Tour a Lush, Leafy Water-Sinking Powerhouse in La Crescenta
Date: Sunday, April 14th
Time: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Location: LA Crescenta
Tickets: On Sale Now
Join us as we return to the forested wonderland of the Forbes Mountain Retreat for the second day of LA’s iconic Native Plant Garden Tour, hosted by the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants.
Doug and Claudia Forbes are gracious and highly knowledgeable hosts. Claudia docents at nearby Descanso Gardens, and Doug has propagated native foliage from neighboring gardens. The garden itself is also gracious – shady, lush, and fragrant.
From the 40 year Coast Live Oaks, grown from acorns to the IdealMow™ Meadow of Sand Dune Sedge punctuated by waving Deer Grass, all but a few plants in the Certified Wildlife Habitat evolved in the foothill region of Los Angeles. In any given month, the garden fills to the brim with nectars, berries and seeds to delight native fauna.
As you wander natural flagstone paths, know the relaxed and rustic vibe belies its hardworking nature of the space. This garden is a water slowing, saving, and sinking power house. The bands of rock that traverse the driveway do more than create an aesthetic link to the home’s architecture – they direct stormwater into the plant life. The charming, undulating slope of greenery hides a bioswale that helps sink what the plants don’t drink. This technical infrastructure feeds the vitality of the native plants would thrive year round in a much less friendly environment.
We look forward to seeing you out in the blooms! If you are taking the tour to imagine or evolve your own space, here are some resources for day dreaming and reference.
Experience Life at the Retreat
Doug and Claudia Forbes illustrated life in the garden for us following the exceptionally water-restricted summer of 2021. Get The Forbes’ Perspective
See More Retreat Photos
To see the Retreat’s vistas and views through the seasons, see Houzz: Forbes Mountain Retreat Profile See the Retreat’s in a world-wide round-up of alternatives to concrete patios and drives in Houzz: 15 Outdoor Spaces that Rock Permeable Paving.
Plant Palette: Forbes Mountain Retreat
See more of the retreat in Pinterest.
Here are blooms you are likely to see on the Native Plant Garden Tour:
Booming Now: April
Follow FormLA Landscaping’s board Blooming Now: April in LA on Pinterest.