temporaryreality

Though my front yard may appear, to the casual observer, to be a purely secular space that likewise makes no reference to political economy, there is nonetheless an intention being expressed in a way that, I hope, looks simply like an aesthetic choice. In other words, what looks innocuous and unassuming is making a statement that can be understood by anyone without using any controversial or exclusionary vocabulary. Basically, the statement is: Things to eat, smell, share, and with which to heal and honor are beautiful and available.

We purchased a house with a lawn. As quickly as possible, I worked to make the land available to productive and beautiful plants and their associated critters. We removed bermuda grass by hand (knowing it would attempt to return, but being ok with future maintenance in that regard), dug "basins," mulched with wood chips (local tree-trimmings) and planted a variety of plants.

My goals were to plant plants in the following "categories":

• edible
• medicinal
• aromatic or culinary
• ritual or sacred
• pollinator forage

Additionally, all plants had to be climate adapted - in my case, that means CA natives or their analogs (Mediterranean-climate adapted plants) and those tolerant of wet, cool winters and hot, dry summers with minimal (but some) summer irrigation.

Here are before and after photos:









If you're not familiar with plants, it might not be obvious, but this garden won't feed a family on the "daily meal" level. At most, it can supplement a productive vegetable garden, but at least it passes neighborly censors and flies under the radar of garden snobs who might object to food in the front yard.

Later I'll post a plant list and mention some of the uses.