The Los Angeles Board of Public Works has announced sustainable new rules for residential parkways. LA Times Greenspace reports that Los Angeles-area homeowners will now be allowed to plant drought-tolerant, turf substitute ground-cover plants in residential parkways without a permit. Previously, homeowners were only allowed to plant street trees and grass without a permit.
Residential parkways are technically part of the street, but homeowners are required to maintain them. Under these new rules, homeowners can plant from a list of 20 ground coverings that use much less water and fertilizer than their turf grass counterparts; they include sedge, yarrow, chamomile, thyme, and some varieties of strawberry.
On the surface, this may seem like a small move, but in a massive city like L.A., where water-intense grass lawns dominate the landscape, it could have big consequences.
Photo: Chamomile daises (Mooseys Country Garden)