GrasslandLandscape & Lawn Care (562) 551-8873
California native front yard with a dry creek bed and decomposed granite path

Landscaping In AOC7

Landscaping in AOC7 starts with well drained loam, and the city has logged 224 empty street tree sites here.

Main ZIP
90813
Soil Type
Terrace Loam
Clay In Topsoil
18%
Sand In Topsoil
38%
Elevation
33 to 39 ft
Miles To The Shore
1.1
Empty Street Tree Sites
224
Typical Home Built
1955
AOC7 on the city neighborhood map

The Ground In AOC7

Dark crumbly loam on a spade with fine roots

USDA maps this as Windfetch and Typic Haploxerolls, well drained loam with about 10 to 18 percent clay.

USDA soil parts mapped here, surface layer
SoilShare Of Map UnitClaySandpHDrainage
Windfetch25%18%38%7.2Well drained
Typic Haploxerolls15%10%45%7.8Well drained

What That Means For Your Yard

  • Well drained loam suits most plants, so plant choice is wide open.
  • USDA shows some salt in the surface layer, so a soil test is smart before you plant anything sensitive.
  • Most yards here have decades of old roots, so hand dig near mature trees.

Plants That Tend To Fit Here

  • Silver sage
  • Ceanothus
  • Toyon
  • Lavender
  • Deer grass
  • Bougainvillea

Weather And Homes

About 1.1 miles from the shore, the area gets a cool sea breeze most days without the worst of the salt. Most plants that struggle right on the sand do fine here.

Census figures for the tracts here put the typical home at about 1955. Many yards from that era still have their first sprinkler lines and foundation shrubs, and much of that is ready to go. Replacing old lines at the same time you redo a bed saves a second dig.

Only about 30 percent of homes in these tracts are houses, and about 19 percent are owner occupied. That points to shared courtyards, parkways and building fronts, where a steady route and a clear scope often beat a big one time job.

Your Parkway And Street Trees

A city tree inventory logged 224 empty street tree sites in this neighborhood. The typical logged parkway there is about 5 feet wide. If one is in front of your place, the city runs a free street tree program. Ask for a parkway tree before you plan the rest of the strip.

Your parkway follows the same city rule as the rest of Long Beach. Fake turf is out, and street trees belong to the city, so trimming one takes a Public Works permit. If you still have living lawn there, Long Beach Utilities runs a free native plant parkway kit.

Popular Work In AOC7

Questions We Hear

What kind of soil does AOC7 have?

USDA maps this as Windfetch and Typic Haploxerolls, well drained loam with about 10 to 18 percent clay. It is also rated well drained. Your own yard may differ, especially if soil was brought in, so a test is cheap insurance.

Can I put artificial turf in my AOC7 parkway?

No. City code limits parkways to living plants plus permeable materials such as mulch, decomposed granite or pavers on sand, and those must cover under half of the strip. Turf is allowed in the front yard itself.

What days can I water in AOC7?

Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m., for up to 10 minutes per station, under the Level 1 rules from Long Beach Utilities.

Next Door To AOC7

Where These Facts Come From
Neighborhood

Serving AOC7

Yard visits across AOC7 and nearby streets.