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Demonstration Garden
The old, traditional style landscape, consisting of high maintenance, evergreen lawns, column shaped Italian cypresses, and a boring, all exotic plant palette, provided little interest to us and to our wild visitors. We also wanted to do away with the weekly mow and blow service, and the associated evironmental pollution. The front and back yards have been transformed over the years with an attractive landscape that provides a sense of place, lots of color and habitat for wildlife. The garden thrives on seasonal, low maintenance, low water, and no chemicals or fertilizers. As an added bonus, it invites all sorts of (entertaining and beneficial) birds, butterflies, insects, and lizards to our delight. The garden has been regularly featured on the Going Native Garden Tour, and it is certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a wildlife habitat.
Before...circa 1996
Spring 2007
Meadow closeup
Manzanita, purple needlegrass & California quail decorate the garge door.
Mural by Roan Victor
Close up of the nesting house finch couple.
Front yard:
The front lawn and two, badly damaged, American sweet gum trees (planted too close to the power lines) were removed in 2001. The yard was replanted with a wildflower and bunch grass meadow, accented by two western redbuds. The garden has evolved over the years, and the perennial wildflowers (Douglas iris, checkerbloom, yarrow, blue flax, california poppy, coyote mint, golden rod, and California buckwheat) prevailed. Last fall, the Berkeley sedge (recently classified as a non native sedge), which was the unifying component of the meadow, was replaced by plugs of purple needlegrass--our state grass. Summer blooming deer grass provides architectural accent at the meadow's edge. These images, taken over the past few years, demonstrate the seasonal changes of the meadow.
Canyon snow iris lines the brick planter, arroyo lupine blooms in the meadow on the opposite side of the path.
Hummingbirds and bumble bees enjoy the spring flowers of the western redbud. The shrubs also provide shelter when they leaf out.
The meadow glows with California poppies in spring. The bumble bees regularly work the flowers.
Blue flax, poppies and dark purple pacific coast hybrid iris provide vivid colors in spring.
Meadow closeup: yarrow, poppies and blue flax mingle with Berkeley sedge. The flowers are visited by insects, who provide food for the resident phoebes and songbirds.
Leopard lily provides nectar for the hummingbirds in June. The (exotic) Japanese maple is complimented with shade loving natives from the redwood plant community: sword fern, western azalea, hazelnut, douglas iris, redwood sorrel and wild ginger.
California fuchsia brightens the garden path in summer & provides nectar for the hummingbirds.
Late summer & fall colors of the meadow. The yarrow, flax and fuchsia are allowed to go to seed, which are enjoyed by many birds.
During winter the wildflowers and grasses are cut back, and the garden enjoys the rains.
Back yard:
The garden path is covered with cedar woodchips that is replenished annually for a tidier look. The path is permeable; it allows the rainwater to percolate through the ground and stay in the garden. Our back garden, reclaimed from the bermuda grass lawn in 1995, has also evolved over the years. Most recent additions include a blue elderberry, eve case and San Bruno mountain coffeeberry, bees bliss sage, snowberry, meadow rue, and a 'skylark' ceanothus that replaced our beloved dark star wild lilac. Western scrub jays, mocking birds, California towhees, house finches, sparrows, chicadees, phoebes, mourning doves, hummingbirds and a recently discovered hermit trush are some of the regular feathered visitors. Bumble bees, butterflies and various other insects are active in the warm season. We also see lizards from time to time. The following pictures depict the garden over the past few years.
Poppies, monkeyflower and coral bells in bloom. The rare, Santa Cruz cypress, in the back corner is now about 17' tall, and is a favorite perching spot for western scrub jays and mockingbirds.
Trish monkeyflower and small-flowered alum root bloom in front of the garden bench in this recent spring photo.
Cedros island lilac verbena mingles with fescue bunch grasses in the foreground; Saint Catherine's lace buckwheat is the focal point in the center bed. Santa Cruz cypress and pacific wax myrtle provide privacy along the back fence and shelter for the many birds.
Hot pink elegant clarkia glows between yellow monkeyflower and purple cleveland sage.
Yellow sunflower daisy edges a pozo blue sage and steals the show during spring.
Foothill penstemon, California & bush poppies enjoy the sun. In the background a red bowl (by Jana Morgan) and heuchera 'Susana' highlight the woodland bed.
Western bleeding heart and miner's lettuce bloom under the pacific wax myrtle in early spring.
Gentle bumble bees collect the pollen from the fragrant, showy flowers of the carpenteria shrubs. The copper birdbath is very popular with sparrows, finches, robins, scrub jays, mourning doves, and phoebes.
Fragrant pitcher sage in early spring by the patio garden gate. A tree cricket took refuge in this shrub and kept us entertained for 2 summers.