Lot size: 550 sq. ft., front and 240 sq. ft. back gardens on tour; 50% native
Garden Age: Front garden was installed in 2008; back garden in 2005
Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: New this year!
Showcase Feature
When Ann and Ray, inspired by the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour, decided to remove their struggling front lawn, they hired Josh Thayer of Native Sun Gardens to do the design and installation. After discovering that the Lage’s were enthusiastic Sierra Nevada and Coast Range hikers, Josh created a vibrant, open meadow in the front garden, where manzanita, native fuschia and penstemon are interspersed with fragrant, purple lavender, reminiscent of Ray’s Spanish roots. A small dry streambed, lined with moss rock and containing fine cobbles, is planted with bunchgrasses; delicate succulents are tucked in among the stones.
Other Garden Attractions
• The back garden, designed by Ann, contains a very large deck around which natives, such as California lilac, red-flowering currant, grape, and manzanita have been planted.
• This drought-tolerant garden will be watered for the first two years; it will receive minimal water after that.
• The neighbors love this colorful garden.
Gardening for Wildlife
The long, tubular flowers of the fuchsia attract hummingbirds; bumblebees roll in the penstemon; honeybees gather in droves around the lavender; leaf-cutter bees take half-moon shaped bites from the redbud leaves.
Garden Talks
12:00 and 3:00 “Lawn alternatives: replacing your lawn with edible and drought-tolerant plantings” Josh Thayer of Native Sun Gardens
