Barbara Thompson’s Garden
Berkeley
Gardening experience: 24 years
Years gardened at this location: 24 years
Size: 1/3 acre
Showcase feature: Harwood creek splashes under the magnificent oaks and three bridges in this woodland garden. Visitors will enjoy the fresh scent and the sound of falling water in this peaceful garden, which was designed and installed by Barbara, Harold Murphree, and Lyn Talkovsky.
Other garden attractions:
- “Windows” in the fence allow passersby to view the oaks and creek. (Lower
window is for children, of course.) - Many local natives are included in this garden.
- Sidewalk strip is planted with natives.
- Azaleas and camillias were removed to create native plant garden.
- Leaf litter left on ground as mulch.
Gardening for Wildlife: Frog ponds are home to Pacific chorus frogs, and a bat box waits hopefully for inhabitants. Bees love the ceanothus, and the number of butterflies has increased since Barbara has become an organic gardener. The butterflies she has seen include buckeye, checkerspot, swallowtail and skippers. Hummingbirds are frequent visitors, though neighborhood cats have chased away the mourning doves. Finches have nested on the porch, and robins nest in the grape arbor. This gardener happily reports that she has a lot of spiders.