Rick and Monica Alatorre’s garden
Richmond
Garden Lot size: half acre total; 60’ x 60’ garden; 100’ x 60’ meadow
Years gardened at this location (Gardening Experience): 10 years
Years on the "Bringing Back the Natives" Garden Tour: Native plant garden was installed 6 years ago
Showcase feature: The artistic placement of a graceful series of raised beds and attractive paving stone retaining walls, in combination with the tapestry of color found in a wonderful palette of natives, provides aesthetic appeal. This lovely garden, designed and installed by the owner of Rick Alatorre of Alatorre Garden Design, bursts with color from February through August.
Other garden attractions:
- Plants of varying heights and textures create visual appeal.
- Newspaper (20 sheets thick and covered by mulch) is used for weed control.
- A potpourri of recycled products—the red-cement path that lead to the house, a neighbor's broken concrete wall, and used chimney flues—have been incorporated into both the front and back gardens.
- Take a look at the ‘before’ photos.
- Bring your children! This garden has a sandbox and will also have crayons and a children’s art table with native plant coloring pages.
Gardening for Wildlife: Gardening for Wildlife: Since the natives have been put in, word has been getting out; the garden is now regularly visited by hummingbirds, butterflies, hoverflies, ladybugs, and other beneficial insects. Four species of caterpillar thrive here, and thirteen species of butterflies visit the saucers of sand and water Rick and Monica thoughtfully put out for them. (Some of them now lay their eggs in the garden.) These creatures are attracted to the shelter provided by dense plantings, the variety and constancy of the flowers, and the fallen leaves (which aren't raked up). Three birdbaths and the sound of water falling from a small fountain attract a variety of birds. Crickets bring each day to a graceful end, with soft chirping that wafts through the bedroom windows in the evening.