La Grande honors Escobar family for water-wise spring beautification award

A front yard on 701 C Avenue has become more than a private landscape. La Grande has named the Escobar family’s property its 2026 Spring Beautification Award winner, pointing to a block where colorful, drought-tolerant plants now create an eye-catching oasis along a busy street.

La Grande Parks and Recreation said the La Grande Community Landscape and Forestry Commission selected the home because it stands out in daily traffic and replaces a traditional lawn with a design meant to look good across the seasons. The city’s beautification program recognizes residential and commercial properties that improve the beauty and diversity of La Grande’s environment, and this yard now serves as a visible example of that goal.

Samantha Escobar said heavy foot traffic on C Avenue helped inspire the family to remove the grass and install a more intentional landscape. The result does more than add curb appeal. Neighbors stop to look, and the Escobars spend time talking with them about the design, turning one yard into a small but steady civic landmark for the block.

That neighborhood effect is part of why the commission’s awards matter beyond a plaque in the yard. The city said winners receive a letter from the commission, a certificate signed by the mayor and a yard sign for the season, signals that a property is contributing to the shared look of the city rather than only to its own lot. La Grande opened spring nominations on May 7 and set a May 25 deadline, and the city said summer nominations will open in July.

The award also fits into La Grande’s larger urban forestry work. The Community Landscape & Forestry Commission advocates for the city’s urban forest, promotes landscaping information and maintains the Community Landscape and Forestry Master Plan. The city says La Grande has been a Tree City USA since 1990, a stretch now spanning 36 years, and describes the community forest as a source of clean air and water, cooler streets and homes and wildlife habitat.

For residents looking to make a similar difference, the nomination criteria show how small changes can add up. The commission welcomes properties with colors and textures, smart use of hardscapes, resource conservation, wildlife habitat, seasonal diversity and food production. La Grande’s street-tree program also requires property owners to contribute $40 per tree and sign an agreement to care for it, underscoring how beauty, maintenance and conservation are linked in the city’s approach. The next round of nominations will give more homeowners and businesses a chance to make the same kind of block-by-block impact.