Terra EcoLandscapes
Planting guide.pdf
The Full Story
Rethinking our yards
We believe the Antelope Valley can thrive when we rethink the way we landscape. By working with our local climate, planting native species from our chaparral community, and learning to make better use of our precious rainwater, we can create yards that are beautiful, resilient, and full of life. Together, these small changes can restore habitat, support wildlife, conserve water, and help build a healthier, more thriving Antelope Valley for generations to come.
Why Plant Communities Matter
In the Antelope Valley, choosing the right plant is about more than just finding something labeled “drought tolerant.”
A better approach is to look at the local micro-climate and plant community. The plant community that corresponds to the Antelope Valley is chaparral, a California plant community made up of tough, drought-adapted shrubs and other plants that are naturally suited to our dry climate and tough winters. Choosing California native plants from the right plant community, in this case chaparral, means choosing plants that are already adapted to the conditions around us and can thrive with little to no help from humans.
But it goes beyond making a landscape easier to care for. Much of the natural habitat in the AV has been lost to development, leaving many native species without the food and shelter they depend on. Planting species from our local plant community helps repair some of what has been lost.
Restoring habitat and food sources is the key to bringing back and protecting the wildlife populations we all depend on, on a larger scale.
The photo on the left shows a great example of chaparral plants coexisting in the Antelope Valley such as: Scarlet bugler (Penstemon centranthifolius), Common manzanita (Arctostaphylos manzanita) and Native chia (Salvia columbariae).
Transforming Yards for the Better
Our passionate team is committed to helping transform yards across the Antelope Valley for the better.
We create landscapes that are healthier for our environment, better for wildlife, and more enjoyable for people.
We believe it’s time to rethink the traditional idea of landscaping.
A beautiful yard doesn’t have to mean a thirsty lawn or a sea of artificial grass. It can be a living, thriving space filled with resilient California native plants that are adapted to our climate.
By bringing these plants back into our yards, we can create landscapes that need less water and maintenance while bringing the wildlife back.
Imagine a neighborhood where every yard becomes a little piece of habitat, helping the Antelope Valley become greener, cooler, and more resilient for everyone.
The same approach applies to water.
Instead of treating rain as something to quickly drain away, we can learn to capture it and let it work for our yards. Rainwater can be collected and slowly absorbed into the soil, helping plants thrive while reducing the amount of polluted runoff flowing into our waterways and eventually reaching the ocean.
When more homes across the Antelope Valley keep rainwater on their land, the impact can reach far beyond individual yards.
Ultimately, this is about creating a different kind of landscape: one that works with our climate instead of against it.
It is our mission and our passion to help create landscapes that are alive, resilient, beautiful AND full of life. Even more importantly, we want to create places where people can spend more time outdoors, enjoy their surroundings, and reconnect with nature a little more every day.
