Showcase Features: These two native garden beds are in the Master Gardener Teaching and Demonstration Garden section of the Charles Street Community Gardens. They were originally designed to bring pollinators into the newly established community and demonstration gardens. Agi Kehoe and Master Gardeners designed and installed the beds in November, 2006. There are 2 beds with swaths along each of the Dune Sedge (Carex pansa), Purple Needle Grass (Nasella pulchra), and Red Fescue. Yarrow covers ground in one bed. These demonstrate samples of lawn alternatives. A lovely Louis Edmonds manzanita stands sculpturally in one bed, while a ground cover of Ceanothus maritimus, Salvia mellifera 'Terra Seca', Coyote Mint, and Saffron (Conejo) Buckwheat hold their own in colors of green and grey all seasons. California Aster, California Fuchsia, and other perennials and annuals flower profusely in spring and summer. California Honeysuckle and a California Morning Glory fill the corners of the arbor. These beds were rarely watered once established.

Other Garden Attractions: One advantage to this teaching garden is the chance to see plants that outgrew their garden space (as they often do in our gardens), resprout and return to their former glory after being cut back almost to the ground, like in a forest fire. Coyote Mint, Coyote Brush, and California buckwheat are some examples.

Gardening for Wildlife: Pollen and nectar attract many native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Years of CA Native Gardening at this Location: 9

Garden Size: 150 sq.ft

Designer: Agi Kehoe and Master Gardeners
Installer: Master Gardeners

Click here to download the plant list in PDF format.