Lot size: 900 sq. ft. front garden, 85% native
Garden Age: Garden was installed in the winter of 2012
Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: New this year!
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 Water Agency helped to cover the cost of the plants. Nature enthusiast and animal tracker extraordinaire Dixie says, “Native plants are not only beautiful; they’re captivating. I love to sit in the garden and watch the birds; it’s so peaceful.” This tranquil garden was designed by Kat Weiss of Kat Weiss Landscape Design.
Other Garden Attractions
• Some of the plants in the front garden receive no water; others are hand watered once or twice a month in the summer.
• Large planting mounds create visual interest and provide the drainage most natives need.
• Walk over to neighbor Laura Cornett and Brad Buehler’s garden, which is just around the corner.
Gardening for Wildlife
Black phoebes, cedar waxwings, finches, towhees, Anna’s hummingbirds, white and gold crowned sparrows, doves, bumble, carpenter, and leaf cutter bees and butterflies visit this wildlife friendly garden. To protect her cats from traffic, poison, disease, and fights—and also to protect the birds that are attracted to her garden, Dixie had a purrfect aerial catwalk constructed in her back garden. (And the cats are kept indoors when not in their catwalk.) Now her pets can feel the breeze ruffling their fur, watch what’s happening in the garden, and keep themselves and our avian friends safe. Check out the photos!
