Nili, Ari and Talia Glatstein, left to right, play with their dog Bing Bong on a tube of variegated St. Augustine grass. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
Nili Glatstein climbs a Dombeya wallichii tree, left, with mom Allison and Talia Glatstein, right, in what was previously the driveway. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
Nili Glatstein, 7, colors on an easel with her dad, Jeremy Glatstein, right, in the backyard. Garden designer Dustin Gimbel created a custom planter, left, for Jeremy’s plant collections. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
Ari Glatstein hangs with Bing Bong, center, and sister Talia Glatstein underneath a painting by garden designer, Dustin Gimbel. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
An Arbutus ‘Marina’ tree in the front garden. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
Thunbergia alata ‘Rose Sensation’ vines and Tillandsia decorate a shade structure designed to cool the back of the house. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
A flower from a Dombeya wallichii, also known as a Pink Ball Tree, which smells like cake batter. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
Two “bug hotels” in the side yard. A bug hotel is part garden art and part winter habitat for beneficial insects, the garden army that helps to keep the bad bugs under control. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
A bee collects pollen from a Salvia melissodora. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
The front yard is a haven for wildlife. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
A goldfinch is seen perched on a tree in the front yard. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
A fish pond filled with waterlilies is a refuge for ducks, birds and kids. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
Allison and Jeremy Glatstein in their backyard. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
Talia Glatstein plays in the gravel pit. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
A detail of an agave guadalajarana. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
An existing duck run connects to the newly redone backyard. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
