Rich McDrew’s Garden
Walnut Creek
Gardening experience: 30 years
Years gardened at this location: 25 years
Size: 1 acre
Showcase feature: Stately coast live and valley oaks, bays, buckeyes, toyon, elderberries, madrones, and a grove of redwoods grace this woodland garden. Steep terraced slopes meander under the trees and through bunchgrass meadows on their way to the to the lower part of the garden. Near the house an elaborate Trex deck (through which hole was thoughtfully sawed to accommodate a large oak) leads to a gazebo which offers magnificent views of the open space immediately below and Suisun Bay in the distance. This garden, affectionately called Buena Vista Acre, was designed and installed by the gardener.
Other garden attractions:
- Attractive leaf stepping stones in front garden.
- Note the animal artwork, such as the bear loveseat and bighorn sheep.
- Garden receives little or no summer water.
- Check out the gardener's 10-20-30-40 listing; 10 wild mammals, 20 native wildflowers, 30 native trees/shrubs, and 40 wild birds that have been seen or are in the garden.
- Certified as a "Backyard Wildlife Habitat" by the National Wildlife Federation.
Gardening for Wildlife: The mature trees and diversity on native plants create a haven for wildlife in this peaceful woodland garden. Four bird baths provide water, and a diversity of understory plants provide food, shelter and nesting areas for wildlife. Bats flit overhead in the evening. Twenty species of native wildflowers drive the pollinators into ecstasy in the spring. Barn owls nest in their barn owl nest boxes, and bluebirds and squirrels nest in the houses provided for them. Red-tailed, sharp-shinned, and sparrow hawks, (American kestrels); barn, screech and great horned owls; acorn and downy woodpeckers; purple martins; lazuli buntings; evening grosbeaks; and California quail are a few of the 40 species of birds that live in or are seen from this garden.