As a recent winner of Rogers Garden’s 2016 California Friendly Garden Contest, Mary Fitzgerald is happy her garden was recognized for her smart and sustainable landscaping. When she began planning the garden, she knew exactly what she wanted. With the help of a very important landscaper who specializes in changing turf into drought tolerant gardens, Fitzgerald’s vision was planted.
Q: Where did your garden idea come from?
A: I wanted a space where nature could come and visit with me. The idea of a little nature preserve in my front yard just thrilled me, and I decided I was ready to redo my yard. I’m really lucky though. I know someone who really knows her stuff about landscaping: my daughter Korina Petrozzi! She is the owner of The Plant Nerd. I sat down with her one day and told her exactly how I wanted my garden to look, and she did it. And it’s wonderful. I know, I am a little biased, she is my daughter. But nevertheless, she is very talented.
Q: Tell me a little about The Plant Nerd.
A: Her company is located in Huntington Beach and has been designing outdoor living spaces, specializing in California landscapes since 2003. They did all aspects of my garden design, from removing the grass (I had the typical California lawn from door to street), to planting, irrigation, lighting and decorating. My landscape turned out just like I wanted, more than the typical drought tolerant landscape with cactus. I’m so proud of her. One time a butterfly landed on a flower in my garden just at the perfect moment a picture was taken. You just can’t stage something like that. People say those things always happen with Korina Petrozzi’s gardens. My daughter definitely has a magical touch.
Q: What do you mean not the typical drought tolerant landscape?
A: I’m just not a cactus fan. I wanted flowers. Besides planting the lovely succulents with their beautiful long-stemmed flowers, we put in a sophora tree. It’s more commonly known as a Japanese pagoda and has creamy white fragrant flowers. I also love the fragrance of the lilac tree, so we put in a tree that has the same wonderful type of scented flowers. And the climbing vine with flowers next to the water feature is a favorite of the hummingbirds. The trickling sound of the water over the rocks under my office window completes the experience. Everything was well thought out. Even the water falling from the rocks is constantly recycling.
Q: What is one of your favorite features?
A: That’s hard to say! But a beautiful path with permeable pavers replaced the sidewalk to the door. The pathway goes up to four feet wide in some places; and we eliminated the old step by the front door in case both my husband and I might need a walker or wheelchair when we get older. I’m 70 years old, have lived here for 49 years and plan to live here another 49 years if I can. The pavers are great because they allow water to go straight into the ground below which makes it ecologically better than having the water run-off into the street. There are several other drought tolerant features about the garden.
Q: What other ways are you conserving water?
A: Besides removing 1800 feet of water-sucking grass and a concrete walkway, the existing sprinklers were removed and converted into a drip system. Also, the downspouts from my roof are directed to go under the walkway into a dry creek bed. When it rains, the water runs down into the creek to water the plants.
Q: Are the plants drought tolerant?
A: Oh, yes. The plants are all drought tolerant and attract butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. People drive by and stop to look and take pictures. Sometimes I’ve given a little tour. Even my cats are entertained and literally go crazy watching the hummingbirds sip the nectar out of the flowers hanging by the window. The cats of course are inside, leaving the hummingbirds outside happy and safe.
Q: How important is the drip system to saving water?
A: Everything is placed under the drip system. Even my potted blueberries in the back have a drip line running through it. It is so efficient we have it scheduled for only twice a week for no more than 10 minutes. The soil was also treated with nutrients and mulch added on top to hold the moisture. In the beginning about six months ago the garden looked sparse, but now everything has filled in beautifully.
Q: You have a very curvy fence also next to your patio furniture.
A: It represents a wave and was something we had to add since we like to sit outside to sip our wine and enjoy our lovely garden. The city of Huntington Beach requires a fence in order to drink alcohol in the front yard. We came up with an artistic, fun way to fence our patio in by blending it into the garden. My daughter even matched the shutters with the fence. It’s those wonderful little touches I really adore about the garden.
Q: How did you hear about the contest?
A: I love visiting and shopping at Rogers Gardens. I’ve seen previous contests and have voted on my favorites for the past few years. Last year the Orange County water district offered a rebate to remove our grass and put in a California Friendly Landscape with drought tolerant plants. We took advantage of the offer and it turned out to be a great idea. I just love my garden now. So even though I landed fourth place in the contest, my heart tells me I really came in first.
CONTACT INFO
Korina Petrozzi, Owner
THE PLANT NERD INC.
16651 Gothard Street Suite C
Huntington Beach, Ca 92647
(714) 842-4100
theplantnerd.com
By Gina Dostler
