Showcase Feature
Inspired by the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour (and tired of paying to have her lawn mowed), Beth hired Four Dimensions Landscape Company to design and install a drought-tolerant, low-maintenance garden. Natives that can tolerate Pleasanton’s hot summers were chosen. The purple-blues of the penstemon, cheerful pinks of the lewisias, and bright reds of the Channel Island snapdragon brighten the garden in spring. A circular gravel path wraps around a moss rock boulder fountain that shoots water skyward; the resulting splash helps mask freeway noise. A patio was installed near the fountain; when mature the coffeeberry, now small, will create a privacy screen between the street and patio. The front garden, with its distinctive look and inviting seating area, is now a gathering place for the neighbors, who congregate companionably on the weekends, which Beth enjoys.
Other Garden Attractions
• Prostrate manzanita functions as a groundcover.
• Don’t miss the “before” photos.
Gardening for Wildlife
The pinkish white flower heads of the buckwheats serve as landing pads for nectar-seeking butterflies; the seeds are eaten by birds. Monkeyflowers attract hummingbirds. Bees buzz the sage.
Photos
Click to see as a slideshow:
