Succulents should replace the suburban front lawn

If you've ever considered replacing your thirsty front lawn with a useful vegetable garden or succulents, then you’re moving forward in the right direction – towards sustainability.

The traditional suburban lawn is such a staple in certain San Francisco neighborhoods, such as Balboa Terrace, that having uninterrupted expanses of the green grass down certain avenues is a requirement written into home owner association bylaws. Mess with those laws and you can face a fine, or at least dirty looks from neighbors.

Still, it’s time to make a change, and it’s easy to see some homeowners are taking those steps by designing new yards planted with ornamental grasses and hearty succulents. Even rock gardens are in vogue.

If you are searching for a great landscaper to design the low-water use garden, give Suzman & Cole Design a call. I met South African Stephen Suzman recently at the San Francisco 2009 Decorator Showcase where he is wowing visitors with his drought tolerant rooftop garden.

What’s so impressive is how he skillfully organized the sedum, aeonium and echeverria in his modern composition which is punctuated by gorgeous sculpture. The clean positioning of the $10,000 worth of cactus and other plants lets the garden hold its own amid the breathtaking bay and city views at the mansion located at 2830 pacific Avenue. You owe it to yourself to see this masterpiece.

“I wanted to educate the public in the use of succulents and ornamental grasses and restio,” Suzman told me. “I want to show that a low-maintenance succulent garden can look quite lush, not just drought tolerant.”



Suzman says many of the plants are on loan from the Robin Stockwell nursery in Watsonville and other area venders. They are easy to maintain but you have to be careful not to overwater them or else they will turn yellow or the bigger plants will droop. Suzman arranged a collection of different sizes and ages, putting some in planters lined along the wood and stone pathway that allows easy circulation of the expansive garden.

“This is the tip of the iceberg of what succulents can do,” he tells me. “We’re not close to replacing the front lawn but sedum would be a wonderful substitute some day,” he says.