A Front Yard Built by Neighbors: Community Gardening in Larchmont Village

In Larchmont Village, a compact Los Angeles neighborhood near Hollywood studios, more than 50 neighbors helped create Stacia Payne's front yard. They dug ditches, installed irrigation, laid flagstone, and planted extensively. The community's intimacy—small homes, front porches, back garages—fosters book clubs, babysitting co-ops, and spontaneous gatherings.

Local Refuge

Stacia and her husband Jose, first-time homeowners, were renovating their 1920s Spanish colonial. Jose had poured the foundation for wide front steps and rototilled the soil for planting when he suffered a fatal asthma attack. The stunned neighborhood rallied to finish the garden Jose started. Within days, neighbors organized, bought materials, divided tasks, and worked for two weeks—"planted and cried and then planted and cried some more," Stacia recalls. "It was pretty therapeutic."

Three years later, the garden functions exactly as Stacia hoped: children play, she finds refuge, and the neighbors who built it visit often. "Stacia doesn't even claim the garden as hers," says neighbor Cesario Tio. "It's become the neighborhood garden."

DESIGN: June Scott Garden Design, South Pasadena, CA (626/441-0040)

Elements of a Neighborly Front Yard

• Easy, ample seating. Wide, high steps (1-foot risers) invite people to "just plop down" without dragging out chairs.
• Softened hardscape. Flagstone and groundcover jump the sidewalk, visually connecting stairs to the curb—a barefoot patio for children and adults.
• Friendly groundcover. Dymondia margaretae between flagstones, along the sidewalk, driveway, and curb is tight, flat, and soft underfoot.
• Approachable landscaping. Low, non-prickly plants—Lantana montevidensis 'White Lightnin'', dwarf kangaroo paw, 'Jack Spratt' New Zealand flax, Senecio mandraliscae, blue fescue, pork and beans sedum—keep sightlines open to neighbors' yards.