The Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants runs its annual garden tour April 4 and 5. More than 40 properties from Monrovia to Long Beach, each composed of at least 50% native plants, will be open for viewing. Heres a sneak peek at one of the stops: Chris Elwell and Kory Odells clever mix of salvaged materials and low-water flora outside a 1910 Craftsman in Los Angeles. Gavin the cat, named after Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco, walks across the roof overlooking a garden whose style Elwell calls “ California Apocolyptica.” (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
At the heart of the sustainable gardens movement is the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants, the Sun Valley education center and nursery whose annual self-guided garden tour will be held April 4-5.
Elwell and Odell turned junk left behind by previous owners into salvaged sculpture. Rusted water heaters and old cedar tree roots represent the Los Angeles skyline in the frontyard. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Lupines, California poppies, tidy tips, clarkia and blue flax now color Elwell and Odell’s front landscape. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Native California tidy tips bloom in the backyard. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Rusted water heaters and a Korean barbecue have become decorative accents in the backyard. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
A rusted cross and chain rest in the frontyard of Elwell and Odell’s home. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
A caterpillar crawls inside a California poppy. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Rusted files form a cityscape in miniature. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
More tidy tips and California poppies. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
A rusted radiator finds new life as a garden accent. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
An ant crawls on a desert fairy duster, a native California plant. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
More rusted relics rest in a dry wash of the frontyard. The $20 ticket to the Theodore Payne tour covers both days. For details call (818) 768-1802 or go to www.theodorepayne.org.
For a look at more Southern California homes and gardens, check out our Homes of The Times archive. (Genaro Molina/ Los Angeles Times)
