A CLOSER LOOK: JEANNE REUTLINGER

Plants used: dwarf jade (Portulacaria afra), creeping myoporum (Myoporum parvifolium), rock purslane (Calandrinia grandiflora), mitre aloe (Aloe perfoliata), sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima), flax lily (Dianella enssifolia), paddle plant (Kalanchoe tetraphylla), Leyland cypress (Cuprocyparis leylandii), magenta bougainvillea (Bougainvillea spectabilis), creeping rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis Prostrata), sea lavender (Limonium latifolium), lantana (Lantana camara), giant yellow Gazania daisy (Gazania rigens), wax-leaf privet (Ligustrum japonicum), ‘Everest’ sedge grass (Carex oshimensis),

Lady Banks’ pink miniature rose bush (Rosa banksiae), California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), wild iris (Iris spuria) and bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae)

Estimated costs: $250

Who did the work: Homeowner Jeanne Reutlinger, with help from her daughter and grandson

How long it took: Three years

Water savings: Minimal, because the space had gone to weeds until she began her project. But she waters by hand with a hose and planted low-water vegetation.

Advice:

• Don’t be shy about asking neighbors for cuttings.

• Make sure you don’t overwater your plants. • Plant seeds and make sure to collect the seeds from your own plants so you can add to your garden.

• Stay on top of pruning plants so they don’t overtake their neighbors. Then replant the cuttings or give them away to friends and family as gifts.

• Make sure your potted plants have good drainage, even if you have to drill a hole at the bottom yourself.

• Be patient with your new garden. Reutlinger says hers took two years before the plants filled in and it really started looking good.