Carol Arnold’s Garden
Hercules
Gardening experience: 2 years
Years gardened at this location: 2 years
Size: 150 square foot fron garden, 360 square foot back garden
Showcase feature: Small in size, but large in native plant diversity, this garden shines in spring. Goldfields and suncups burst forth with cheery yellows, which contrast with the blue of Douglas iris and blue-eyed grass. Woodland plants, including ferns and wild strawberry, were selected for the shaded area near the house. This garden was designed by Glen Schneider, and the plants were installed by Glen and the gardener.
Other garden attractions:
- Garden backs up to a large seasonal wetland overlooking San Pablo Bay.
- Non-native groundcover was removed from the front garden, and grass from the back.
Gardening for Wildlife: This fairly new garden attracts a variety of wildlife, including Pacific chorus frogs, lizards, hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Frequent visitors to the garden are downy woodpeckers, western kingbirds, mocking birds, American goldfinches, robins, towees, and redwinged blackbirds. Red-tailed hawks, red-shouldered hawks, and black-shouldered kites soar in the adjacent wetlands. Specific plants, such as the Dutchman’s pipevine—the only food source for the larval form of the pipevine swallowtail butterfly—increase habitat value.