NZ born photographer/anthropologist Jessica calls London, and occasionally LA, home.
With the drought ever worsening in LA, there's been a slow but steady movement towards ripping up one's turf and replacing it with drought-tolerant gardens. Gardens in the coastal neighbourhood of Venice offer particularly beautiful examples, populated with Mediterranean and desert plants that make for all manner of textures and scents.
„ These gardens, while popular, are still underrepresented.”
In wealthier neighbourhoods like Bel Air and Beverly Hills, verdant lawns still signal status and old world values. The city offers some support - there are rebates available per square foot for turf removal. But, LA is a large place. Money often runs out to offer the service. Some of these photographs feature decades-long established desert gardens, with one in particular featuring the full grown cuttings from Joshua Tree. I photographed them using two old film cameras of mine, on some of my many wanderings of Venice, grabbing details here and there. I'm looking forward to the city embracing and celebrating its desert landscape more and more.
