As an architect, I am becoming increasingly concerned that Beverly Hills’ image is being compromised and how one after another, fine things are being destroyed, mutilated and removed in a vain search for change when the positive image of the city is already well-established, appreciated and admired.

The most recent example is the tacky plastic planting on the fencing around El Rodeo School. What kind of example is it to expose impressionable young minds to plastic plants as a suitable replacement for the real thing?

Equally disappointing was the removal of the creatively planted succulent garden along Wilshire and Whittier boulevards and its replacement with such unattractive rudimentary planting. The usual excuse is to replace the existing plants with drought-tolerant plants but in this case, the succulents already were drought-tolerant, full and lush with a variety of colors and textures, so why was it done at considerable expense to the taxpayers?

I recently went to a Chamber of Commerce breakfast at the L’Ermitage Hotel on Burton Way. I parked on the south side of the street and proceeded to cross the median, which I had done many times before. What a shock I got. It was like trying to cross a demilitarized zone. All that was missing was the barbed wire. Try it sometime and see what I mean, all rocks and brambles with an odd green grass-ish “walkway” that leads to a dead end at Rexford Drive.

There were two meetings held at City Hall where the planting was discussed and each and every attendee voted to maintain the grass. What was the meeting for, other than for the show?

The current drive for drought-tolerant planting is reasonable, but planting spikey weeds is not the solution, as they change our desired aesthetic. Many drought-tolerant plant materials fit into this aesthetic. They should be sought out and used, but it takes a properly directed, talented professional.

There is also the matter of viewing the artwork. In the past, I exited my car multiple times and circled some of my favorites. That is no longer possible. Now, the only practical way to view the artwork is from a passing vehicle, and after only several months the height of the inappropriate planting is blocking the view of the bottom of many of the sculptures. It is only going to get worse as they grow taller and fuller over time.

The “water capture” feature, which was recently installed at great expense and requires and utilizes sizeable stones, shows functional promise. Sizeable stones are increasingly used as decorative features such as those on Wilshire Boulevard at the VA. Our stones unimaginatively mimic the straight lines of the drains with spikey weeds on both sides hiding something that could have been turned into an attractive feature with the use of a little creativity. Yes, spikey weeds are drought tolerant, but so are many other plants which do not look like weeds and fit with our beloved aesthetic.

I recently went to a talk on drought-tolerant landscaping and the lecturer bemoaned that maintenance crews constantly removed similar plants because they thought they were weeds. The lesson to be learned is that this wouldn’t happen if they were using other plant materials where the distinction is more obvious. That thought did not cross his mind. He said we can’t plant like it was in the 1950s. That is true, but 70 years have passed and mowable drought-tolerant grasses have been developed. Using them would satisfy everyone’s desires aesthetically and practically.

We deserve better than this.

Tom Roberts

Beverly Hills