GrasslandLandscape & Lawn Care (562) 551-8873
Spanish style bungalow behind a striped green lawn and silver sage beds at golden hour

Landscaping In Carroll Park

Landscaping in Carroll Park starts with well drained loam, and part of it sits in the Carroll Park historic district, where fences and hardscape can need city review.

Main ZIP
90814
Soil Type
Terrace Loam
Clay In Topsoil
18%
Sand In Topsoil
38%
Elevation
52 to 54 ft
Miles To The Shore
0.6
Empty Street Tree Sites
35
Typical Home Built
1962
Carroll Park on the city neighborhood map

The Ground In Carroll Park

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. Most of the points we checked are zoned R-1-N, which means single family.

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.

Weather And Homes

About 0.6 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 1962. 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 21 percent of homes in these tracts are houses, and about 17 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.

Historic District Rules Here

Carroll Park Historic District

About 70 percent of the neighborhood map falls inside this district. Lots here are irregular, so setbacks swing from about 5 feet to about 30 feet. No two front yards are the same shape. Most hold a lawn with small gardens, shrubs and mature trees, and the guideline asks you to keep each layout. Read the city guideline.

Bluff Heights Historic District

About 16 percent of the neighborhood map falls inside this district. This is a large district with a high count of Craftsman bungalows. The guideline asks you to keep the planting area, yard shape and layout. Many lots keep a small garden, shrubs and mature trees behind a narrow grass strip. Read the city guideline.

The city says plantings are typically not reviewed, but fences and site changes need a Certificate of Appropriateness before a permit. See how that works.

Your Parkway And Street Trees

A city tree inventory logged 35 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 Carroll Park

Questions We Hear

What kind of soil does Carroll Park 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 Carroll Park 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 Carroll Park?

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 Carroll Park

Where These Facts Come From
Neighborhood

Serving Carroll Park

Yard visits across Carroll Park and nearby streets.