COB: Community Demonstration Gardens

Going native: Burbank residents redesign front yard with eco-friendly plants in mind.
Burbank Leader: May 7, 2010 by Riley Hooper

In a neighborhood full of lawns, Jeena and Eric Schoenke’s front yard stands as an anomaly.

The Burbank residents tore out their front lawn and redesigned the space about a year ago. They poured a patio, created a path, brought in several large boulders and planted California native plants.

The yard features many native flowers — Baja snap dragons, tiger lilies and varieties of poppies, penstemon and sage — which are in full bloom. Every plant in the front yard aside from one tree is native, Jeena Schoenke said.

“If you stand at my house and look at my yard, you’ll see red and yellow and purple and orange flowers everywhere,” she said.

The Schoenkes decided to go with a native landscape out of a concern for the environment, she said.

6 6 6 6 6 6 6

Burbank residents looking for lawn alternatives and examples of native or drought tolerant gardens can visit one of four community demonstration gardens sponsored by the city of Burbank Water and Power Department.

The department has given four out of eight possible grants to nonprofit organizations and local schools to develop gardens that demonstrate irrigation products, plant material and practices for cultivating a water-efficient garden. While these gardens also use drought tolerant plants from similar Mediterranean climates, the majority of the plants are native, department Conservation Manager Joe Flores said.

The four gardens are at Burbank Temple Emanu El, the Burbank Family YMCA, the Burbank Housing Corp., in front of Elmwood Achievement Center, and one is under construction at Burbank Adult School, Flores said.

These gardens are part of a larger effort by the department to cut down on water usage by 20% by 2020, as mandated by Senate Bill X7, which went into effect in November, Flores said.

Therefore, the department offers rebates through the Metropolitan Water District for water-saving products like low-flow irrigation systems and offers classes in conjunction with the Glendale Department of Water & Power on water efficient landscaping, which includes a component on California native plants.

It is estimated that more than 50% of drinking water in Burbank goes toward landscaping, Flores said.

The city’s water and power department is also looking to implement a program that gives rebates to Burbank residents for removing their lawns, Flores said. READ MORE !