(Picture from Genaro Molina / LAT)
The LA Times has gone gaga for gardens, sorta. Two different articles take a look at what can grow in these environs without much water, care, or planning. During the weekend, the paper took a look at what's growing on the 10, and not the embankments, which have both soil and water - two of the major prerequisites for growing stuff. No, not the pussy embankments. While commuting along the 10 is a soul-crushing and life-sucking endeavor for thousands of people every day, all manner of flora have been able to survive and grow on the highway median - where there is no soil and almost no water. Whlie botanists are perplexed, Caltrans is (surprise!) a total killjoy, griping about possible passenger safety problems.
Today's paper picks up on the theme, profiling the Orlando Pueblo apartment complex near La Cienega and Third. Ten years ago, owner and occupant Philip Reavis decided he had enough with lawns and gardens dependent on heavy irrigation and planted desert-friendly plants. Besides the environmental benefits, "He said he's not spent a nickel on watering the grounds since 1987." Maybe Caltrans could hire him.
A natural gas along the freeway [LA Times]
No Drought of Desert Beauty at Eclectic Apartment Complex [LA Times]