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Photos: Ready to scratch the grass? Here are 28 inspiring lawn-free yards
1/16
Stefani and Peter Gruenberg removed their front lawn and installed flagstone walkways, drought-tolerant groundcover dymondia margaretae and an assortment of rocks and pebbles. The drought provided fresh inspiration for Stefani, a longtime ceramics artist, to create a sculpture garden. Read the full story here.
(Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
2/16
Olive trees frame a stone-lined courtyard in Atwater Village. Before and after photos here.
(Mariah Tauger / For The Times)
3/16
David Pixley tends to his front garden in Burbank. He has been cultivating the drought-tolerant garden for years with cuttings from the Huntington and other places. It is a wild and crazy mix of things -- succulents, tropicals and more. Read the full story here.
(Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)
4/16
A selection of California native and some non-native, drought-tolerant plants create a warm welcome in Manhattan Beach. See the before and after photos here.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
5/16
Native plants, crushed gravel and recycled concrete in this Brentwood garden create a comfortable oasis for birds and butterflies. More photos here.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
6/16
Peggy Casey and Erik Hillard’s Altadena garden is situated on nearly 3/4 of an acre and features drop-dead gorgeous gardens in both the front and the back. See more photos here.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
7/16
Landscape designer Tony Exter transformed this Los Feliz front yard with aloes, agaves, gravel pathways and dwarf olive hedges. More photos here.
(Mariah Tauger / For The Times)
8/16
Linda Glaser, pictured, removed her 3,000-square-foot front yard lawn and put in native and California-friendly plants, edibles, a bioswale, and other water capture features. Full story here.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
9/16
Julie Burleigh has created a sanctuary surrounding the West Adams home she shares with her partner, photographer Catherine Opie, and their son. More photos here.
(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
10/16
This home in Mar Vista is framed by edibles and drought-tolerant plants.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
11/16
Low-water California native wildflowers and plants, a decomposed granite path and a gabion made of basketed rocks, frames Andreas Hessing’s home in Altadena. Read more about the garden here.
(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
12/16
A Long Beach couple transformed their front landscape into a drought-tolerant work of art that includes bold, graphic, circles of rock and artificial grass. Read the full story here.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
13/16
Garden designer Mimi Kahn installed a low-mow festuca rubra (creeping red fescue) because this Santa Monica family wanted to avoid unnecessary watering and noisy lawn mowers. More photos here.
(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
14/16
A Laguna Beach garden is filled with drought-tolerant and fire-resistant plants designed to further the Mexican feel of the home. Full story here.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
15/16
In Sierra Madre, artificial turf and concrete pavers create a whimsical checkerboard pattern. Full story here.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
16/16
Square cement pavers and a concrete fountain that doubles as a bench reside in this Venice garden created by Naomi Sanders. See the full story here.
We’ve gone through our archives and compiled some magical turf-removal transformations.
In most cases, the homeowners we talked to experienced a renewed connection to nature and their neighbors after they removed their lawn and replaced it with a drought-tolerant alternative.
Have a turf-removal transformation of your own to share? Submit photos of your drought-tolerant garden makeover to [email protected]. Bonus points if you include a “before” image as well.
Lisa Boone is a features writer for the Los Angeles Times. Since 2003, she has covered home design, gardening, parenting, houseplants, even youth sports. She is a native of Los Angeles.
