Thanks to the city of Perris, David Milligan, a laconic entrepreneur with an eye for opportunity, is raking in a different kind of green. Not long ago the town hired his company to treat an epidemic of dead lawns fronting its more than 1,100 foreclosed homes. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Brian Roberts of Insta-Green prepares to paint a dead patch of lawn at a foreclosed home. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Brian Roberts, right, and stone mason Bruce Cooney tape down a tarp to keep paint off the sidewalk. My business has been slow, but these guys are keeping busy, says Cooney. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
No sod or seed required; just a bit of water, some chemicals and the willing suspension of disbelief. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Brian Roberts, right, and Mark Kazemier of Insta-Green lay down green paint on the dead lawn of a foreclosed home in Perris. Roberts worked in the mortgage industry before business dried up. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
