Okay, I officially have garden envy.
After touring the four homes on GMIA's annual art and garden tour, I came home, surveyed our capacious (rapacious!) front lawn then perused hundreds of xeriscaped yards on google images looking for more inspiration. None of the internet photos came even close to the beauty and wonder of the Mt Helix yards I had just seen.
The unifying theme of this year's tour was 'water wise'. And, while xeriscaping conjures up cacti and succulents interposed between colorful stones and pebbles, I can now say, emphatically, saving water does not demand a Borrego Springs landscaping. Yes, San Diego County is a desert. Just look at what grows in the few remaining open spaces around you-- Mission Trails Regional Park, for example.
Find out what's happening in La Mesa-Mount Helixwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
We will never (or, better said, should never) have front yards that are reminiscent of our Northern California brethren. The transition to water wise landscaping is, however, going to be exceedingly hard for those of us raised in the 1950's suburban tract home mentality. But, as I said to my family after the tour, when the kids are all gone, so is our front lawn!
Please see more photos of the tour on the GMIA website.
