Christine Schneider’s Garden
Berkeley
Gardening experience: 20 years
Years gardened at this location: 7 years in the back, 3 in the front
Size: 6,500 square feet
Showcase feature: This gardener wanted a home where she “could start from scratch, and use native plants in a way that made the landscape look like a cared-for garden.” The garden, once a weedy mess complete with a shallow fish pond filled with cactus mix, is now a lush series of outdoor rooms. A diversity of native plants have been incorporated into this garden, which was designed and installed by the gardener, owner of Native Sage Landscape Design.
Other garden attractions:
- Bunchgrass meadow needs no mowing.
- Parts of the backyard are not watered at all.
- Sheet mulch was used to control the numerous weeds in the garden.
- Native plant selection, along with mulch, drip irrigation and soaker hoses,
result in very low water use. - Worm castings are used as fertilizer.
- A branch of Derby Creek runs under this 93 year old house.
Gardening for Wildlife: Buckeye, skipper, monarch, and tiger swallowtail butterflies are frequent visitors to this wildlife-friendly garden. Songbirds and hummingbirds are often seen at the feeder, on the bushes that have berries, such as coffeeberry, and at the nectar-producing plants, such as alum root and poppies. Bumblebees love the bee plant. A small urn fountain attracts wildlife with the sound of falling water.