Schoolhouse Creek Common Garden
Corner of Curtis and Virginia Streets,
Berkeley
Garden Lot size: 9,000 sq. ft., 70% native
Years gardened at this location (Gardening Experience): Planting at the garden began in 2005.
Years on the "Bringing Back the Natives" Garden Tour: New this year!
Showcase feature: In 1856 an elementary school was built on this site; a lovely grassy meadow on a low rise near gurgling spring-fed Schoolhouse Creek. Fast-forward to 2005, when the asphalt that had covered the meadow for decades was demolished, the site graded by the Berkeley Unified School District, and neighbors gathered to begin planting what would become Schoolhouse Creek Common, a child-friendly community garden and park. This attractive public space contains a wide diversity of natives that will do well in the flats, as well as an orchard, lawn, and an assortment of drought-tolerant Mediterranean plants. Bring your children, who will love both the tire swing, and the East Bay’s most beautiful sandbox—surrounded by bunchgrass, California lilac, manzanita, tree stumps, and sea-shell studded boulders.
Other garden attractions:
- When mature, Dr. Hurd manzanita, black oaks, and redbuds will arch over the walks and form tunnels of green foliage over both entranceways.
- Walk one short block to Christopher Kroll’s garden at Curtis and Cedar.
- Bring a picnic and blanket and enjoy your lunch in this pleasant setting.
- Bathrooms are available!
Gardening for Wildlife: The sages and California lilac are favorites of bees and small native wasps. Plants for butterflies at their different larval and adult stages can be found here. About half of the garden is left unmulched to allow native burrowing bees to reach their nesting places in the earth.
Garden Talks: 12:00 and 3:00 “Bored with exotics? Interested in learning to love natives? How to create a low maintenance, beautiful native plant garden” by Jamie Day.
Native plants sold: Butterfly-attracting plants and butterfly-shaped baked goods, native-themed art, and other crafts and food—donated by Girl Scouts and students—will be sold. Proceeds will benefit the garden.
Directions:
From the I-80 exit at University, head toward the hills, and continue .8 miles. Turn left at San Pablo Ave. and go .3 miles. Turn right onto Virginia and go .2 miles. Schoolhouse Creek Commons is at the corner of Curtis and Virginia.