Lot size: 2,600 sq. ft. back garden on tour, 80% native
Garden Age: Garden was installed in the fall of 2008
Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: New this year!
Showcase Feature
Inspired by the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour, Mardi and Jeff removed the periwinkle and grass, creating a haven that attracts native bees and butterflies. The more than seventy species of natives were chosen by Mardi and Diane Bloom of Bloom Gardens; the hardscape and moss rock walls were designed by Andres Ventura. Installation was a family project.
Other Garden Attractions
• A bunchgrass meadow, planted with purple needlegrass, fescue, sedges, and rushes, is located in the sunny center of the garden.
• Shaded areas contain western swordfern, currants, and the aromatic hummingbird sage and yerba buena.
• A boulder-strewn creek, planted with willows, dogwoods, and other streamside natives, was created next to the driveway; the pump is solar powered.
Gardening for Wildlife
Berry-bearing plants (including lemonadeberry, huckleberry, red elderberry, coffeeberry, strawberry, and thimbleberry); mature trees (oak, bay, cedar and toyon); and thickets provide food and shelter for slender salamanders, newts, ensatina, bats, at least ten kinds of native bees, and owls. The garden is left unmulched to provide nesting areas for native ground-dwelling bees. Dutchman’s pipevine attracts iridescent blue-green pipevine swallowtail butterflies that come to this garden to lay eggs. In spring orange and black pipevine swallowtail caterpillars can be seen happily munching the vine—the only host plant for this beautiful butterfly.
Garden Talk: 12:00 and 3:00 “Creating a sanctuary for urban wildlife: habitat for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds (while welcoming deer, mice, moles, voles, newts, salamanders and earthworms, to name a few)” by Mardi Mertens
