Santa Monica landscaper wins award for sustainable Malibu project

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Pamela Burton & Co. won an Honor Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects for the gardens and hardscape (seen above) at a Malibu beachfront home.

At first, the owner wanted lots of bright green turf. But the designers explained how that would be out of place with the sand and chaparral of the local natural geography and would need gobs of water. Eventually, the design team —Pamela Burton, Stephanie Psomas, Andrea Zurik and Stephen Billings — persuaded the owner to plant a sustainable landscape with sandy trails and low-water-use plants.

See more pictures and the whole plot plan, which includes a permeable driveway.

(Photos: Bruce Botnick)

Comments

[tarbubble]

wish they had included information about the grass species they used. i'd like to go low-water for my backyard but just don't know where to start.

[ptso]

The long grass with the green bottoms and golden tops looks like needle grass to me. My neighbor has it too. It's a California native. Visit www.theodorepayne.org or
http://www.plantright.org/plants/alternatives.php?invPlantID=19&region=south_coast

[tarbubble]

ptso, thank you. the theodore payne site is very useful, although i wish they would provide pictures or descriptions of the grass varieties they sell. i ended up ordering the "Western Trails" seed mix from High Country Gardens:

http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/99580/