#bladderpod

Last spring I finally had the opportunity to do a project that I had been researching for a couple of years - transforming my front yard into a California native plant landscape.

It took several months of work and, with the help of some friends and family, it was all done by hand. We sledged and hauled off concrete planter edging. We ripped up the lawn with a manual sod remover and transplanted it to a friend's yard for her dogs. I dug a dry creek bed/pond and filled it bucket by bucket with gravel and then river rocks. I sheet mulched the yard with layers of cardboard and covered it with a pile of mulch larger than my car. I planted the yard with nearly all native California plants that I had carefully researched.

It's now been nearly a year since I started the project and it is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. My front yard went from a weed-infested lawn that took contributed very little to the ecosystem to a water wise landscape that supports wildlife and brings me joy everyday. There is a lot wrong in today's world, but at least I can improve the small area under my control - my golden state garden.