Showcase Feature Jane, who had had enough of her “miserable excuse of a lawn,” wanted to “do the right thing” and provide habitat for wildlife, while also having a water-conserving garden. (And she got

Showcase Feature Tré, who has been attending the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour since it began in 2005, had long dreamed of having a native plant garden; now that the pines, weeping

Showcase Feature While on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour Mike and Mardi visited the California Native Bee Garden in Berkeley—and were sold on the idea of creating habitat for bees in their

Showcase Feature The back garden was a large lawn; but the kids were grown, and Bill and Nancy thought it was time for a change. Alexandra Ashton, of Urban Flora Landscape Design, designed

Showcase Feature The kids were grown, the pool and small patches of lawn had outlived their usefulness, and Jeff and Kathleen were ready for a change. Specifically, they wanted an attractive garden that was

Showcase Feature The spectacular view across the valley and to the oak-covered hills in the distance is equaled by this beautiful back garden, a delightful combination of texture, form, and color, designed by the

Showcase Feature This large corner lot, once a humdrum hedge and large, water-consuming lawn, is now a dynamic garden that changes with the seasons, following the rhythms of the natural world. In December and

Showcase Feature Melinda Bandler’s back garden, designed by the team at Susan Friedman Landscape Architecture, is a delightful combination of texture, form, and color. Ribbons of purple-blue penstemon line the Wolf Creek flagstone path.

Showcase Feature Over the years Penny and Kathleen have removed forty Italian cypresses, junipers, lawn, failing retaining walls, a lot of concrete, and a sea of oxalis from their large corner lot. In their

Showcase Feature Dixie Finley’s front lawn was the first to be sheet mulched in a “How to remove your lawn (and get paid for it, too!)” workshop. A lawn conversion rebate from Zone 7

Showcase Feature Ann and Steve wanted a garden that would use less water than their large lawn required, be low maintenance, and have a natural look. So, they were very happy when, in May

Showcase Feature Inspired by the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour, Kay and Ron stopped watering their large lawn and asked Roxy Wolosenko of Roxy Designs to design and install a water-conserving, low-maintenance garden

Showcase Feature Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour participant and volunteer Lori is a fifth generation Californian—so when she decided to sheet mulch the lawn during the drought, planting California natives was a given for

Showcase Feature In 1990 the front garden contained two rose bushes and hip-high weeds; the back yard was a sea of concrete. Merle loved to hike, and she wanted her garden to reflect

Showcase Feature Long-time Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour attendee Sally Mathews died in late 2018 after a 10-month battle with brain cancer; she loved watching the garden and birdlife evolve with the seasons

Showcase Feature Peggy had a vision for this garden, and that vision did not include the existing flat lawn, or the large brick patio that took up space under the redwood tree. Hauling in

Showcase Feature Nick and Liza’s 1920s house was constructed next to the former right-of-way to the Key Route System’s Underhill Station, which was located right behind what is now the Mealys’ home. In the

Showcase Feature Joanne and Scott’s back garden was “a disaster;”crowded with privets, a poorly placed crabapple, and a lot of oxalis. Happily, they found Michael Thilgen and the team at Four Dimensions Landscape Company,

Showcase Feature In 1893 a trolley line was built to carry picnickers (including Mark Twain) across Indian Gulch (named for the nearby seasonal Native American village) to the bucolic oak-bay woodland that blanketed the

Showcase Feature Sam, a native Californian, liked the aesthetic of California native plants; in order to get the garden he wanted he attended the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour, took copious notes on

Address: 20095 Mission Blvd., Hayward, CA (at the Paradise Community Garden, located between Paradise Blvd and Hampton Road, in the Cherryland District.) Phone and text: (510) 502-0992 Hours: First Saturday of the month, 10:00

Showcase Feature Inspired by the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour, Nancy and Robert sheetmulched their front lawn away, then designed their own native plant garden. Not satisfied with the result, three years later

28th Avenue at Foothill Blvd. (2777 Foothill, if using a GPS) in the Fruitvale District of Oakland Native Plant Sale Extravaganza Special!  Open on Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5, 2019 from

Showcase Feature Inspired by the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour, John and Fran asked Kat Weiss of Kat Weiss Landscape Design to make some changes to their garden, which was largely lawn.

1202 La Vista Avenue Concord (925) 681-2968 http://www.markhamarboretum.org info@markhamarboretum.org Hours: Every Tuesday (weather permitting) 9:00-12:00, and select Saturdays from Spring to Fall. For a list of Markham's Saturday sales, visit http://markhamarboretum.org/page18.html#SaturdaySales Bringing Back the

Showcase Feature Concerns about the environment prompted Valerie and Harry to lose their lawn and replace it with a water-conserving, pesticide-free garden that would attract wildlife.  This cottage garden, designed and installed by Michael