Lot size: 20 x 25 sq.ft. front garden and 60 x 30 sq. ft. back garden on tour 75% native
Garden Age: Native garden was planted in stages, beginning in fall, 2007
Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: 3
When Joan began gardening on the lot adjacent to her home the weeds were four feet high. Inspired by the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour, Joan got to work. No herbicides were used in clearing this lot; Joan sheet-mulched the weeds—covering them with overlapping pieces of cardboard and four inches of wood chips—then created raised garden beds. Now more than 150 species of natives, selected and installed by Joan, spill exuberantly about this busy cottage garden.
Other Garden Attractions:
- The artistic front fence was created from recycled wood, found on Craigslist, hauled back from Concord, and shaped by Joan with a jigsaw.
- One of the two newly planted areas was reclaimed by jack hammering out an old sidewalk.
Gardening for Wildlife:
Joan refers to her garden as “bumblebee paradise and hummingbird heaven.” These winged visitors are wild about the sages, monkey flowers, Channel Island snapdragons, and fuchsias. The birdbath and feeders provide hospitality for towhees, chickadees, sparrows, and the ever-present group of squirrels. The garden also attracts other native bees and skippers, and is home to slender salamanders
Garden Talk: Chat with Joan throughout the day about which natives are easy to grow, and which she has found iffy.
