Showcase Feature
For anyone interested in streamside or restoration gardening, or gardening for wildlife, this garden is a must-see. The Sorensons have spent the last thirty-five years restoring the creek side and adjacent uplands. The area was heavily grazed by cattle in the last century, so many exotics needed to be removed. Existing native plants were encouraged to proliferate and, using the Briones Park native plant list, native plants found in the same watershed were introduced. The garden now features about 150 species of local native plants, many purchased from Native Here Nursery in Berkeley. Others were grown from seed collected on-site.
Wear comfortable walking shoes; the bridge is narrow, and so are the trails, which wend up and down a slope. Walking sticks are provided for safety.
Other Garden Attractions
• Two charming bridges, designed and made by Bob, span Lauterwasser Creek.
Gardening for Wildlife
Birds seen in the garden include Cooper’s hawks, cedar waxwings, Bullock’s orioles, quail, yellow-rumped warblers, northern flickers, Nuttall’s woodpeckers, red-breasted sapsuckers, and western screech owls. Ring-necked, gopher, valley garter, and rattlesnakes pass through. Newts breed in the pool just upstream of the bridge.
Keystone species (watch this talk by Doug Tallamy!)
Keystone species—our own, local ecological powerhouse plants— in this garden include valley oak, black oak, and coast live oak, arroyo willow, Scouter’s willow, gooseberry, flowering currant, California rose, wood rose, holly leaf cherry, manzanita, snowberry, ocean spray, sage, lupine, honeysuckle, coffee berry, coyote brush, mountain mahogany, and woodland strawberry.
Come birdwatch with us!
Check out the Botanical Garden’s table, which will be staffed throughout the day by Garden Board members.
Plant and animal lists
Native plants, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals lists, 2025
Video
“Bringing nature home with local natives” by Bob Sorenson
Photos
Click to see as a slideshow:
