Historical Society Open House Set
Drought-tolerant gardens are often thought to be collections of spiny, unfriendly plants plopped in sand and left to fend for themselves.
But at the headquarters of the Historical Society of Southern California--once the home of Charles Fletcher Lummis and now a state historical monument--the drought-tolerant garden is lush, inviting and blooming in time for the society’s annual open house Sunday.
Visitors to this drought-tolerant garden walk along curving paths through sun and shade, under giant sycamore and eucalyptus trees, past large flowering ceanothus shrubs--even past spiny yuccas and prickly pear cactus.
Surrounding the hand-built stone house is an herbal moat of lavender, rosemary and cistus; the front lawn is a fragrant meadow of yarrow that is mowed to a height of 3 or 4 inches, “but it could be left to grow tall and flower,” says Suzie Chamberlain, vice president of the Historical Society board of directors and a garden volunteer.
Lummis, city editor of The Times in the mid-1880s, was an avid gardener and plant collector; he planted many of the larger trees on the property.
Today, the recently renovated garden, designed by Cal Poly Pomona professor and landscape architect Bob Perry, is a showcase for attractive garden design in dry, difficult conditions. The garden also is a workshop for the practical aspects of water conservation.
“Because of the nature of the house and the California natives that had been planted, the water conservation aspect could be easily refined and pursued,” Perry says.
The two-acre garden needs only half the water required by a traditional ornamental landscape.
Different irrigation techniques--spray, drip and trickle systems--are used throughout the garden, and all areas are heavily mulched with leaves and organic material supplied by Los Angeles’ Department of Recreation and Parks. The grounds and house are maintained by about 40 volunteers.
Perry, author of “Trees and Shrubs for Dry California Landscapes” (Land Design Publishing, 1987), became involved with the Lummis garden in 1985 when the historical society received an $80,000 grant to renovate the property from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.
The garden spaces surrounding the house and the entry gates are now complete except for an exhibit near one entrance: large bulletin-board displays that, when installed in June, will offer information about the garden and “a little bit of botany,” Chamberlain says.
The Historical Society promises more than a charming garden for the open house on Sunday:
Perry will answer questions about planting and maintaining drought-tolerant gardens;
Steve Kutcher, proprietor of “Bugs Are My Business,” will answer questions about insects;
Diane Myers of the Southwestern Herpetologist Society will discuss reptiles;
Representatives of Northeast Trees will talk about planting projects.
Also, plants supplied by the Theodore Payne Foundation, trees from TreePeople, and books and periodicals from the society’s bookstore will be for sale.
Historical Society of Southern California Open House, Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Charles Fletcher Lummis Home, 200 E. Avenue 43, Los Angeles, near Heritage Square.
