Lot size: 600 sq. ft. side and 800 sq. ft. back garden 70% native
Garden Age: Natives were planted in the back garden in stages, beginning in 2008; the driveway garden was started in 2011
Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: New this year!
Kate was inspired by Judith Lowry’s books; when a couple of citrus trees in the driveway garden (yes, you heard it right, a driveway garden!) needed replacing, native plants were what she chose. Now ninety species of native plants grace the small driveway and back gardens. The natives are interspersed with, and sometimes planted in, a potpourri of glazed pots. One of these is a Chinese fishbowl that now functions as a fountain, and is nestled among the hummingbird sages. In spring a colorful medley of shrubs and annuals brighten the garden. Shrubs include the blue California lilac, white carpenteria, and purple-blue penstemon, which mingle with a cheerful array of wildflowers, such as blue gilia, yellow tidy tips, and purple chia.
Other Garden Attractions
- Persistent weeds are managed with… persistent weeding, thus keeping chemicals out of the garden.
- Whimsical art pieces created by Kate, an art teacher, and her high school students are scattered about the garden. Check out the mosaic bench supported by antique radiators.
- Four kinds of manzanita (John Dourly, Refugio, Howard McMinn, and Lester Rouwntree) and four types of California lilac Dark Star, Diamond Heights, Frosty Blue, and Skylark), provide structure and greenery throughout the year.
Gardening for Wildlife
Plants of varying heights, berry-bearing plants (such as service, coffee and goose berry, pink flowering current, manzanita, and toyon), and two splashing fountains attract birds, including hooded orioles. Native bees are drawn to the California lilac, sages, and poppies, and to the mason bee nest box. (Check this out; it’s on the garage, just under the eaves.) Carpenter bees nest in a wooden mobile that hangs from the front porch. Hummingbirds visit the monkeyflowers, hummingbird sages, and penstemons. Butterflies sip nectar from the buckwheats.
