407 El Centro

This past year, the homeowners at 407 El Centro transformed an aged grass lawn into a fairy-tale, drought tolerant and interactive cottage garden. Working with the design team at Studio Grey Green to bring their vision to life, the family had these criteria: making the yard more interactive for their daughter, keeping the plantings drought tolerant and/or native, prioritizing fragrant plants, and using their garden to increase the sense of community. The biggest undertaking was adding a dry creek bed that spans across both sides of the yard, as well as adding dimension with low berms that cradle the California Native no-mow grass meadow. The berms are planted with different types of sage, grasses, and blooming plants. They also added a variety of fruit trees to make the yard more functional, including lime, peach, avocado, and orange. They utilized large boulders and lumber to provide places for play - including a small stump circle in the back of the yard. Lastly, they added three raised beds to the front yard. This increases  serendipitous run-ins with neighbors - everyone wants to know what they're growing or ask about their yard or the vintage wildlife plaster statues in it, and they enjoy getting to know people.

411 El Centro

Saving water and money and not having to mow the lawn was the motivation for Tina DeBow to re landscape the front garden of her 1913 home at 411 El Centro. Tina took advantage of a “bewaterwise” turf removal rebate program and, by working with Barbara Magnus of Plant RX, her once thirsty lawn now has drought tolerant plantings. Tina appreciates the abundance that is possible in South Pasadena’s climate and kept an established orange tree (dating to the time when her neighborhood was full of orange groves) and added in two Dorsett Golden apple trees, a Meyer lemon tree, a pink lemonade tree, and a fig tree. Other plantings include antique rose bushes with their unique and beautiful multi colors, two smoke bushes, Coprosma kirkii variegata, Jerusalem sage, mallow, and a variety of succulents and agaves. Many plantings have taken root along a dry stream bed that extends near the top of the garden to the east side.

314 Hawthorne

Linda Castro’s garden at 314 Hawthorne, El jardín de Linda, was created from the loss of her daughter, Linda. Linda was a vivacious, intelligent, kind-hearted, giving, and strong-spirited soul. If Linda fell down from a seizure she always got back on her feet. No matter how intense the seizures, she found the courage to continue forging ahead. She never gave up in life. She blossomed as a child and as an adult, Linda bloomed into a unique flower. 

This garden space is dedicated to her daughter in honor of her life. El jardín de Linda has grown throughout the years and includes roses, various black rose and mint aeoniums, lavender, fox tail agave, fuschia rock purslane, and additional succulents planted in her honor. Linda is always remembered and loved in this peaceful garden space inspired by her family-oriented spirit and zest for life.

1122 Meridian

Amber and Sam Jaeger at 1122 Meridian Ave.always wanted a vibrant water wise garden that connects them to their familial roots.  Growing up, Sam remembers his mom’s spring flowers being enjoyed while sitting on the porch and Amber spent summers at her grandparents farm;  so colorful blooms and having a vegetable garden to share with their own kids was important.  Sam built the raised bed himself and the veggies are kept watered using ollas buried in the soil.  The rest of the yard has been an experiment in growing drought and heat tolerant plants (mostly) from seed and learning what thrives.  Coreopsis, pink and white Guara lindheimeri, Licorice Plant “Limelight”, Penstemon, Rock Purslane, Lavender and various sages are happy and blooming now; with Pink Muhly Grass, Globe Thistle and Agastache to round out the summer and fall.

2015 Cambridge Place

When John Vandercook and Peggy O’Leary relandscaped their front garden at 2015 Cambridge Place, they knew that they wanted to create a space that was conducive to outdoor living and entertaining and that would attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. Working with Raul Sanchez of Go Green Landscape & Design, they took out the dead grass and overgrown plants, leaving the crepe myrtle, holly bush, and razzle dazzle. Sanchez installed new irrigation and used recycled driveway concrete to create the focal point: a welcoming seating area with a chiminea, which has become an inviting space to chat with friends and neighbors. Plantings include arbutus, Japanese maple, mexican cigar, copper spoon, lavender,  salvia farinacea, dwarf bottlebrush, and David Austin roses in a variety of colors. 

1816 Oak

The family’s goal at 1816 Oak was to create a beautiful, drought-tolerant landscape that complemented the architecture of their 1920’s home. They worked with Marilee Kuhlman of Urban Water Group, Inc., to transform their thirsty front lawn into a colorful, biodiverse palette of plantings native to California and other locales with Mediterranean climates.  Beneath the garden, a 7,000-gallon underground tank harvests rainwater from the roofs of the house and garage. Captured rainwater is recycled to irrigate the landscape with an efficient drip system managed by a “smart” irrigation controller that uses real-time weather data to determine optimal watering levels. Gravel and brick pathways are permeable, allowing rain to flow through them into the soil. A grove of four white crepe myrtle trees frames the entry path and its fountain, and a pink trumpet tree shades the house in summer but allows the sun to warm the house in winter when it drops its leaves.

1315 Marengo Avenue

Claudette and Bob Hunter’s 111-year-old Craftsman home is understated, a low-slung bungalow in muted earth tones with a vintage brick porch at 1315 Marengo; their front yard, on the other hand, is anything but subdued. It is a kaleidoscope of spring colors, from sunny orange poppies to an array of pink, purple, and yellow blossoms, and a particularly fruitful kumquat tree. There is an emphasis on drought-tolerant flora, but the assemblage is the opposite of dry, with ecstatic pops of color leaping from every corner of the yard. The literal centerpiece of the yard, however, is the bisected oval of grass which separates porch from sidewalk, and has become an essential space for endless games of ring-around-the-rosie with their five grandchildren.

South Pasadena Community Garden 1028 Magnolia Street

The South Pasadena Community Garden located at 1028 Magnolia Street enables residents to grow organic fruits, vegetables, flowers, and herbs, and to work and learn together. Starting as a vacant Caltrans lot, South Pasadena’s only community garden now has 42 beds (including 3 ADA beds) available for rent to City residents.  The Garden contains many features that enrich both the plot holders and the larger community, including fruit trees and herb beds, a children’s garden, a compost system, and an evolving pollinator garden. An oasis from a busy and chaotic world, a wide variety of fruits and vegetables happily grow in the community garden including fragrant sweet pea flowers, an abundance of artichokes, four types of mint, the beginnings of tomatoes and zucchini, plus blackberries and strawberries. Additionally, they hope to grow many luffas this year to give away at city events! To learn more about the Community Garden, visit southpasadenacommunitygarden.org.

As an all-volunteer non-profit organization since 1969, South Pasadena Beautiful partners with our community to pursue sustainability and beautification projects, such as our recent landscape of the South Pasadena Post Office and annual events such as our springtime Sustainability Fair, Garden Tour and Plant Swap, and annual meeting presentation in the fall. For more information, visit southpasbeautiful.org.