LA’s Rainy Days Make Our Sunny Ones Sweeter
February 2026. FormLA Team: Love isn’t always sunshine and roses. Neither is LA. When we learn to make the most of life’s inevitable storms, we get stronger. Together.
One of the biggest success factors is managing our own reactions. When LA’s fiery temper flares, or she becomes positively toxic with sunshine, we need to resist becoming too hard. It’s the same when it feels like the tears will never stop. We can set ourselves up for success by slowing down and getting conscious about how we absorb what’s coming our way.
Over time, we see success as Angelenos take consistent, coordinated action. While the results achieved in large public spaces (e.g. LA River restoration) make a splash, we can all play a part in helping LA manage what she must. We all have agency, and every garden matters.
Slow It
When the rains come, there is less reason to fear their impact when tree canopy slows their fall. Those with broad, evergreen canopies and deep LA roots have an advantage here. The more hyper-local Sycamores and Coast Live Oaks we can stand up, the harder each drop has to work to find its way to the ground.
Spread It
While large trees have an advantage in providing cover, every plant makes a difference. The layered aesthetic so many seek has a functionality that really shines in rain.
Think of the drop that rests on a lilac bloom for a moment, drips down a Western Columbine stalk, then reaches a broad, leathery Hummingbird Sage leaf that delivers it to a blade of Dune Sedge. It’s not just slowed along it’s path. It’s redirected. It’s transformed.
Sink It
Knowing we have the capacity to absorb what is coming can stabilize us. There is a tendency to feel helpless when we see the earth moved by water, especially in areas already denuded by fire or past slippage.
Even now, we are not helpless. All planted spaces absorb and clear stormwater. Every space that pulls water way from delicate slopes protects them – and protecting the most delicate protects us all.
Resist It
Of course, there are places where we just can’t brook water at all. It cannot be allowed to challenge our foundations or storm through our doors and windows.
Even these seemingly insurmountable troubles can be managed with the right landscape decisions, at home and in our community spaces. Wisely placing sand bags and other barriers can redirect a storm surge until other features can drive it into the ground. Many local municipalities and fire departments make a point of having support on hand when forecasts call for reinforcements.
Even optimistic, influential LA cannot control the weather. But in so many ways, over time, together, we can determine how it impacts our community. We are already seeing the results of our collective actions.
