When Windsor Square residents Wendy and Larry Guzin decided to replant their front garden with native plants, they decided to do it themselves. Wendy, an avid gardener and a member of the Hancock Park Garden Club where she chairs their Conservation Committee, dug deep into local nurseries that specialized in native plants and wildflowers to find the best options for her garden.
Over the course of many visits to Theodore Payne Nursery and other local suppliers, she developed her plant palette and a planting plan. Wendy decided she wanted to keep her mature plants near the house, which included several white iceberg rose bushes and a spectacular wisteria that frames the front porch. These mature plants were already well established and fit with their craftsman style home. They also added a lushness to the garden that it will need while the new native plants are getting established.
Working with her gardener and a sprinkler installer who laid out a network of drip irrigation, Wendy laid out a mulch path through the garden leading to a water feature and bench located under a mature tree in the yard. She added a low-lying area filled with rocks, creating a rain garden, that will improve the storm water capture on the site. The rain garden worked perfectly during the recent rains. Even in the heaviest rains, it never overflowed with water, instead the water drained quickly back into the ground.
The result is a lovely front garden that supports our native wildlife while using less water. It’s also a lovely contrast to their shade garden in their backyard where Wendy has added native plants as well.
The Guzin garden will be featured on the Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society Garden Tour June 3. Tickets can be found here. Proceeds from the garden tour support the society’s beautification projects in the neighborhood.
