Send Us Your Awesome Drought-Friendly Gardens

Send us your beautiful drought-tolerant yard pictures!

Do you have an awesome yard that you’ve modified for the drought?

If so, send us your pics so we can add them to our gallery of LA gardens that celebrate, rather than deny, limits on water. Read on for more details — and check out the cool gardens sent us, below.

On today’s DnA, Jon Christensen said that instead of playing the blame game, California’s extreme drought means we should all work together to forge a beautiful state that uses water wisely.

And a good start is, literally, in our own back — and front — yard.

Municipalities all over LA County are offering rebates to homeowners who replace their green lawns with drought-tolerant landscaping.

But not everyone finds cacti, succulents and rocks or even California natives an appealing alternative to grass. And pop culture has helped to reinforce L.A.’s love affair with the lawn — from David Hockney’s paintings to its appearance in numerous movies depicting suburbia.

So we want to celebrate the beauty to be found in an aesthetic of aridity by creating a gallery of inspiring LA yards. To get us started, we took a walk around the residential streets close to KCRW.

In just a few blocks we found a galaxy of diverse gardens and sidewalks — each displaying highly personal, creative combos of rocks, gravel, color and form.

We think these represent a new look for an LA lifestyle that reflects its geography and climate.

So we want to share your creative drought-friendly designs. Please send us your succulent selfies, your snapshots of gorgeous gravel, rock and cactus compositions. Or Cal natives in all their natural splendor.

Post them on Instagram @kcrwdna or Twitter @FrancesAnderton with the hashtag #droughtgarden. And we’ll display them on a gallery on DnA’s blog.

Follow all our other coverage on designing for the drought, here.

Here are some of the photos of Drought Gardens sent in from our listeners:

#DroughtGarden#Altadenapic.twitter.com/U7Zw7q5vZw

— Kamala Almanzar (@Kamaladance) April 9, 2015

@kcrw@FrancesAnderton#DroughtGardenpic.twitter.com/4ZtYNF1tiL — Rochelle G. (@DodgerDogPile) April 9, 2015

#DroughtGardenpic.twitter.com/qCR2IZ3fGx

— LAAC (@LAACstudio) April 9, 2015

@kcrw@FrancesAnderton Just finished. #droughtgardenpic.twitter.com/p48xyb7AQn — Steven Cahn (@StevenCahn) April 8, 2015

@CarolineKCRW Look it’s a handheld #DroughtGarden#SucculentSelfie ? pic.twitter.com/ckE4HQ9QDl

— Monika Scott (@MightyMonika) April 8, 2015

@kcrw#DroughtGardenpic.twitter.com/ycRGqXxE9B

— sarah (@alcedo11) April 7, 2015

Sherman Gardens #droughtgarden Newport Beach pic.twitter.com/7wg0oypWd9

— Maya Dunne (@Mayalately) April 7, 2015