10 Southern California Front Yards Transformed by Native Plants

The Theodore Payne Foundation's 2016 Native Plant Garden Tour (April 2–3) showcased 41 Los Angeles County gardens where California natives create wildlife habitat, celebrate regional beauty, and work with the climate. Here are ten standout front yards.

Tour Details

2016 Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour
41 residential & public gardens, Los Angeles County
April 2–3, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | $25–30

1. Reimagined Streambed — Jefferson Park (860 sq ft)

Designer: Homeowner John Arnold
Plants: 'Canyon Prince' giant wildrye, 'Sunset' manzanita, basin big sagebrush, deer grass, valley oak

Arnold's "shaggy, casual, naturalistic" design mounds native shrubs, trees, perennials over a weathered brick path meandering to a Craftsman porch. Subtle streambed references: rocks lining the path, grasses mounded like banks. Japanese zigzag bridge inspiration for the path. A Pacific Northwest transplant, Arnold embraced California's dry cycles.

Theodore Payne Foundation

Theodore Payne Foundation — Liveforever (Dudleya sp.)

2. Contemporary Rain Garden — Palms (1,000 sq ft)

Designer: Tom Rau Landscape Architecture
Plants: 'Blonde Ambition' blue grama, 'Dana Point' CA buckwheat, desert agave, 'Timeless Beauty' desert willow, purple needle grass

Bobbie Allen's 1-year-old garden captures, cleans, and infiltrates roof runoff via a planted basin. First ¾″ ("first flush") percolates through soil/plants; cleaner overflow runs a stone swale to storm drain. Basin plants handle drought and inundation; edges take moderate moisture. Desert willows provide bird habitat. Wildlife exploded: "Now I'm responsible for birds, butterflies, squirrels, possums."

Theodore Payne Foundation

Theodore Payne Foundation — 'Blonde Ambition' blue grama

3. Modernist Wildflower Meadow — Del Rey (900 sq ft)

Designer: Homeowner J Shields
Plants: Big berry manzanita, toyon, penstemons, globe mallows, sages

21-year-old native meadow with modernist order: upright habits, reasonable sizes, known wildlife value. Decomposed granite over clay cuts weeding and sharpens the aesthetic. Channel Islands natives hold personal meaning (surfing connection).

Theodore Payne Foundation

Theodore Payne Foundation — Big berry manzanita

4. Engaging Spanish Courtyard — Manhattan Beach (1,000 sq ft)

Designer: Oakley Gardens
Plants: Toyon, Palmer's Indian mallow

Low wall creates semi-private courtyard; concrete pavers + decomposed granite planting area. "Uniform hardscape lets plants be free-form without chaos." Cats, neighbors, school kids all love it — butterflies and paths especially.

Theodore Payne Foundation

Theodore Payne Foundation

5. Naturalistic Wildflower Meadow — Oxford Square (1,100 sq ft)

Designer: Nick Dean Landscape Design
Plants: 'De La Mina' lilac verbena, 'Jelly Bean Lemon' monkeyflower, compact Cleveland sage

Former lawn → billowy drifts (3, 5, 7 plants) crossing decomposed granite path for windswept look. Scattered seeds fill gaps. Terraces slow runoff. "I don't want it to be something you just bypass."

Theodore Payne Foundation

6. Welcoming Woodland — Valley Glen (1,800 sq ft)

Designer: Homeowner Jeff Jamison
Plants: 'Casitas' Mendocino bushmallow, 'Allen Chickering' sage

Lawn removed, decomposed granite path installed, concrete demo pieces reused in path. Sages, buckwheats on mounds for water savings and insect habitat. "Now we want to be out there any chance we get. There's something cool about having things from your region."

Theodore Payne Foundation

Theodore Payne Foundation

7. Artful Garden With Hidden Discoveries — Altadena (150-ft driveway)

Designer: Scrub Jay Studios
Plants: California buckwheats (base), rusty machine-part art

Path parallels driveway; plants partially obscure it for surprise moments. Buckwheat flowers turn red-brown, complementing rusted art. "A garden for meandering."

Theodore Payne Foundation

Theodore Payne Foundation

8. Native Garden for Summer Beauty — Glendale (1,100 sq ft)

Designer: Homeowner Mike Sovich
Plants: Arroyo lupine, decomposed granite paths

Former Bermuda grass. Water utility background drove initial conversion. Many CA natives summer-dormant; Sovich uses hardscape "bones" to carry beauty through dormancy. "Plants are important, but structure makes the landscape beautiful."

Theodore Payne Foundation

Theodore Payne Foundation — Arroyo lupine

9. Relaxed Restoration Garden — Torrance (700 sq ft)

Designer: Homeowner Andrew Chaves
Plants: Coastal CA poppy, 'Vicki Romo' sage, common sandaster

Inspired by LA Conservation Corps bluff restoration. Locally collected seeds attract rare wildlife: seacliff buckwheat hosts endangered El Segundo butterfly. Now Theodore Payne ops manager, Chaves blends restoration species with cultivars for aesthetics + ecology.

Theodore Payne Foundation

Theodore Payne Foundation

10. An Evolving Front Garden — South Carthay (900 sq ft)

Designer: Homeowner Beverly Crist
Plants: Baja fairy duster, Cleveland sage, olive tree, Mexican evening primrose

Decade-long evolution: replaced lawn, roses, manicured shrubs ("too traditional") with Mediterranean plants (olive, lavender, sages). Gradually swapped in CA natives as plants died. ~70% native now. "Baja fairy duster and Cleveland sage replaced Mexican sage."

Theodore Payne Foundation — Baja fairy duster

Theodore Payne Foundation — Cleveland sage