Showcase Features: The owner, designer, and installer of this stunning garden is a biologist with a passion for wildlife. She transformed a boring lawn into a paradise for birds, amphibians - and her kids. The front garden is terraced with field-stones that offer shelter and basking spots for the many lizards. A native meadow uses red fescue as the base plant, but includes yarrow and several annuals including poppies, lupines, and gila and blue-eyed grass. Closer to the house, a beautiful native grape covers a retaining wall and ground cover native strawberry plants, ferns, currants, and bush anemone are sure to be stunning in the spring. The back garden combines natives and non-natives. The owners love fragrant plants and use several non-native vines and large containers with herbs and fragrant flowering plants. Blueberries and some other edibles are also in containers. California natives such as mock orange, ferns, and hummingbird sage round out this garden area, which is edged by a yarrow lawn.

Other Garden Attractions: In the front, a fairly steep slope has been seeded with fescue and melic grasses as well as native clovers. A stunning rusted steel sculpture has found its home high up under the trees on the right, while the chicken coop on the left is home to some happy hens. The front garden has been designed to be kid friendly with jumping rocks, a wood walkway, and some plants that are fun for the kids to harvest. A Raised wood bed Koi pond with a galvanized tub gravel filter doubles as habitat and attracts wildlife with the soothing sound of water.

Gardening for Wildlife: The owner has counted over 50 species of native birds. She has also encountered slender salamanders as well as Ensatina and arboreal salamanders, many lizards, pollinators and butterflies

Years of CA Native Gardening at this Location: 3

Garden Size: 3600 sq.ft

Designer: Homeowner
Installer: Homeowner

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