Lot size: 400 sq. ft. front garden is 90% native; the 1,000, sq. ft. back garden is 50% native
Garden Age: Native garden was installed in Dec. 2006.
Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: 3
Showcase feature
The former “defensive plantings” in the front yard included about “a thousand pounds of agave, and a tall spiky tree” as well as numerous other large and uninviting trees and shrubs. Rosemary Zappulla of Wild Rose Gardens Sustainable Landscaping was hired to design and install a low-maintenance garden that contained both California natives and edibles. In front, several kinds of manzanitas and a coffeeberry are surrounded by an attractive mix of clarkia, poppies, fuchsia, blue-eyed grass, and seaside daisy, among other natives. In the backyard, silk tassel, and more coffeeberry anchor the native plantings, while other beds are devoted to blueberries, strawberries, herbs, and fruit trees.
Other garden attractions:
- A house renovation project inspired the redesign of the back garden, which contains about 50% natives. These are interspersed with fruit trees (apple, dwarf Meyer lemon, fig, and Santa Rosa plum), other edibles, and colorful Mediterranean ornamentals.
- The former flagstone patio was removed and the flagstones reused to create the attractive patio.
Gardening for Wildlife:
White and golden-crowned sparrows love this garden, as do Anna’s hummingbirds, which nested in it last year. Anise swallowtail butterflies, skippers, bumblebees, and other native bees are frequent visitors.
