Tom and Shirley Butt’s garden
Point Richmond
Gardening experience: 30 years
Years gardened at this location: 19 years
Lot size: 87,000 square feet (2 acres)
Showcase feature: This extensive garden, which is reached by climbing a lot of stairs, is on the north slope of Nicholl Knob, and includes a large expanse of remnant coastal prairie. The lovely bunchgrass Festuca californica, once common in the East Bay, is abundant here. Plants that naturally accompany this bunchgrass, such as soaproot, bracken fern, California rose, toyon, and coyote bush, provide a magical glimpse into the past. Closer to the house, a waterfall and pond next to the dining table, the arcs of vine-covered arbors, and productive vegetable beds create a restful oasis for the gardeners.
Other garden attractions:
- This productive garden contains more than 20 kinds of fruit.
- Broom, blackberry, and poison oak once covered much of this property, which was cleared of weeds without the use of pesticides.
- Certified as a "Backyard Wildlife Habitat" by the National Wildlife Federation.
Gardening for Wildlife: Bush tits, finches, chicadees, hummingbirds, and flocks of cedar waxwings find food and shelter in this garden. Several large and naturally-occurring patches of Dutchman’s pipevine provide food for the larval form of the beautiful pipevine swallowtail butterfly. Their chrysalises are often found on the fence rails. Other butterflies attracted to this garden are the monarch, anise swallowtail, sulphur, and red admiral. Pacific chorus frogs came into the garden on their own when the waterfall and pond were installed. Habitat is provided by thickets, local native plants, and a diversity of plant type and height. Parts of the garden are left unkempt in order to provide wildlife with shelter and nesting areas. Red-tailed hawks and great horned owls have nested nearby. Raccoons, skunks, and opossums are frequent visitors. Newts and salamanders are found in winter; lizards and gopher snakes in summer.