Lot size: 2,500 sq. ft. front garden
Garden Age: The native garden was installed in stages, between 2020 and 2021
Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: New this year!
Please watch your step as this garden has multiple levels, some stairs, and a narrow path with no rail.
Showcase Feature
The Copley’s had had enough of watering their lawn, and sheet mulched it away. In its place they imagined a bocce court with an adjacent seating area that would allow them to use and enjoy their front yard, and a low-maintenance, water-conserving garden reminiscent of nearby natural areas that would be easy to care for. Pat’s daughter-in-law designed this tranquil garden: installation was a family affair.
The original narrow porch, hemmed in by a sea of camellia and juniper, was replaced by an expansive and inviting porch and deck. A large overhang allows the family to sit comfortably outside in all weather, be it warm or wet—a feature Pat finds, “Delightful.”
The garden beds surrounding the bocce court contain a mixture of hardy natives: ’Bees Bliss’ sage mingles with sweetly-scented coyote mint. Deer grass provide structure and stability. Manzanita and prostrate coyote brush keep the garden green all year, and California fuchsia and buckwheat, which flower in summer and fall, extend the bloom season.
A charming seating area placed in the shade of a large valley oak and other mature trees is surrounded by shade-loving natives including bee plant, coral bells, hummingbird sage, and coffeeberry.
Now that the front garden is such a pleasant place to be, the family spends a lot of time outdoors. They chat with and wave to neighbors, making the neighborhood feel like a warmer and friendlier place to live.
Other Garden Attractions
• Dry-stacked boulders were used to create the shaded seating area.
• Decomposed granite paths border the bocce court.
Gardening for Wildlife
Bumble and carpenter bees are drawn to this garden by the clarkia that bloom in spring, and the sages. Lizards bask on the boulders. Hummingbirds are drawn to the manzanita and hummingbird sage.
Keystone species (watch this talk by Doug Tallamy!)
Keystone species—our own, local ecological powerhouse plants— in this garden include oak, currant, California lilac, sages, manzanita, and buckwheat.
Green Home Features
The Copley’s have 16 solar panels and an induction range, which, Pat says, she “LOVES”. She is especially impressed with its responsiveness. (Meaning, when you turn lower or turn off the heat the dish stops heating immediately.)
At least partially wheelchair accessible? No
