Lot size: 2,500 sq. ft. front garden is 95% native, 3,000 sq. ft. back garden is 80%
Garden Age: Garden was installed in stages, beginning in 2012
Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: 2
Showcase Feature
Carol attended the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour a few times, liked the look of the native plant gardens she saw, thought planting natives was the right thing to do, found designer Kat Weiss of Kat Weiss Landscape Design through the Tour, and the stage was set. The large front garden on this corner lot was designed by Kat and installed in 2012; Carol liked it so much she had the back done three years later. A previously hot area in the back garden has been transformed into a shady, cool woodland area with the addition of native trees and shrubs. The three-rock drilled fountain in the back garden is surrounded by Mendocino reed grass.
Other Garden Attractions
• The raised garden beds that sweep around the front garden provide the drainage most natives need, and are planted with native shrubs such as manzanitas, sages, and buckwheats, which provide structure and create a privacy screen.
• An inviting seating area in the front garden is enhanced by the burbling drilled rock fountain.
• Carol loves the view from inside the house, which she reports is as attractive as the view from outside.
• The “no-mow” native bunchgrass lawn in the back garden is, in fact, never mowed, and watered infrequently.
• In order to keep her cats safe, and also to protect the birds, Carol built a catio—a cat enclosure—in the back yard.
Gardening for Wildlife
Carpenter, bumble, and honey bees frequent the garden. Finches and hummingbirds drop by for seeds and nectar.
