Joshua and Allison Tomlinson's Garden
El Cerrito
Years gardened at this location: Garden was installed two years ago
Garden size: 15 x 25 square foot garden only on tour
Showcase feature: Slightly raised berms provide drainage for natives in this small garden in the flats. This garden was designed by the owners to provide habitat for wildlife, conserve water, and be low maintenance. More than twenty species of natives crowd in wild profusion in this eclectic garden.
Other garden attractions:
- Front garden receives no supplemental water.
- Dense plantings out-compete weeds; those that squeeze in are pulled by hand.
- Willows were grown from cuttings taken from a nearby seasonal creek.
Gardening for Wildlife: Recently Joshua heard thrashing around in the front yard and found a young buck scraping its antlers on one of the young willows, a plant about 4' tall and containing nice sections of bare branches from the base to about halfway up. Assuming that there must be a shortage of plants with that structure in the area Joshua was delighted to provide such a beautiful animal with an experience he was clearly enjoying! In addition to large mammals with beautiful coats, salamanders, skunks, raccoons, hummingbirds, and bumblebees (who love the buckwheat) also appreciate this garden.