DoomsdaysCW

He swapped his lawn for #NativePlants after asking, ‘What was meant to be here?’

You don’t need an acre of land to enrich the environment, says Christopher Smee of his Glendale front yard, which is filled with California native plants.

By Lisa Boone
March 30, 2026

- Christopher Smee replaced his water-hungry lawn in Glendale with native California plants like sage and poppies, re-creating the landscape that existed before the neighborhood’s 1920s development.
- The $20,000 transformation cut his water usage so dramatically that he now waters just once monthly in the summer.
- The experience inspired Smee to volunteer at a local preserve, helping plant hundreds of native species across the #VerdugoMountains area.

Excerpt: " 'I love the majesty and structure of the white sage,' he says, pointing out the dried branches he leaves for the birds. 'I love the color, and when I learned about its importance to the Indigenous community, I felt it should be at the center of the garden.' "

Read more:
https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2026-03-30/christopher-smee-glendale-homeowner-swapped-lawn-for-native-plants-creating-a-thriving-habitat

#SolarPunkSunday #LessLawnsMoreGardens #NativePlants #Gardening #RewildYourLawn

Glendale homeowner swapped his lawn for California native plants

'It’s really been a joy to reunite the soil with the plants that belong here,' Christopher Smee says of removing his lawn and planting California natives.

Los Angeles Times
Apr 5 at 12:14amWeb
Show threadDave Lightbeam22h ago
@DoomsdaysCW I want to do this because I bloody hate lawn mowing!
Show threadDoomsdaysCW22h ago
@lightbeaminsight Mother Nature hates bloody lawn mowing as well!
Show threadDave Lightbeam22h ago
@DoomsdaysCW I’m in NZ, and I suspect if I do things thoughtfully, it can end up (relatively) low maintenance too. It’s a big project though so I need to plan it out. It’s on “the list” and is gradually increasing with priority every time the lawn is mowed 😀
Show threadDoomsdaysCW21h ago
@lightbeaminsight And there's some cool native plants in New Zealand. Some of them edible!
Show threadDave Lightbeam21h ago

@DoomsdaysCW there are indeed! I love them all so will be a fun exercise when I get to the actually being able to plant point 😀

I have had a little success replacing a small border full of weeds and invasive species with Hebe bushes, but a minimal effort so far 😂

Show thread"Mediocre Bunny" Evelyn21h ago

@DoomsdaysCW
$20,000? How big is this property?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for landscaping with native plants, but that seems pretty darned steep to me.

*this may all be explained/justified in the paywalled article

Show threadDoomsdaysCW21h ago
@Gorfram Oh hey. I'll post the archived link. But you know, a new roof on our barn cost almost $10K. Things aren't cheap these days! (And I'm all about DIY.) Digging up and removing trees are expensive as well (I imagine there was some of that involved as well. I know I'm dealing with that myself with invasive bushes!).
Show threadDoomsdaysCW21h ago

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/j2XCA

cc: @Gorfram

Show thread"Mediocre Bunny" Evelyn21h ago

@DoomsdaysCW
Thanks 😊

Apparently, Smee had his entire lot landscaped & replanted, including adding a patio, a fountain, & at least one mature tree (also done all at once, & not DIY). That’s much more worthy of a $20k price tag than the simple replacement of grass with native groundcover plants that I’d envisaged.

Show threadJustin21h ago

@DoomsdaysCW
We started doing this as well last year, it felt so great to rip out all the grass between sidewalk and street to plant native wildflowers and plants.

This spring I plan to remove over half the front yard grass for the same. 😁