Showcase Feature
Four years ago the front yard consisted of a lawn surrounded by chain link fence. Today there is no mowing—and no watering—in this drought-tolerant, low-maintenance native plant garden, which was designed and installed by Dale. The front garden is now an eclectic mix of large shrubs, such as coyote brush, several kinds of sages, manzanita, and Island bush poppy. Monkeyflower, yarrow, Douglas iris, and native strawberry nestle beneath them. In the back garden the fenceline is planted with shade-loving plants such as currants, bee plant, coral bells, and monkeyflower. This is a garden in transition; as Dale put it, “I had a hard time at first, pulling plants out and putting new ones in, but now I realize that that’s what gardening is about.”
Other Garden Attractions
- Every useable space has been planted; check out the north side of the deck in the back garden; even this small area contains virgin’s bower, golden currant, snowberry, and ferns.
- Only newly planted natives receive water; once established they receive none.
- Weeds are pulled by hand.
Gardening for Wildlife
Several species of native bees adore the Cleveland sage, as do the flocks of bushtits that twitter there. Hummingbirds hover at the hummingbird sage and monkeyflower. Warblers visit the garden, as do various butterflies and hummingbird moths.
Photos
Click to see as a slideshow:
