Don and Kathy Brancheau’s garden

San Ramon

Lot size: 1,200 sq. ft. front and 600 sq. ft. side gardens on tour, 95% native

Garden Age: Native garden was installed in November, 2006

Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: 2

Showcase Feature

Don and Kathy are Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour graduates; they attended one tour, volunteered at the next, and the following year, having transformed their own garden, they were hosts.  These do-it-your-selfers hired Kat Weiss of Kat Weiss Landscape Design to design their small front garden, and to help select the plants.  Don and Kathy did the rest, including shoveling dirt, placing many large rocks, installing the handmade spill fountain, and purchasing and planting the natives.  Recently Kathy and  Don designed and installed the side garden, using drought-tolerant, mostly native plants. Now that the work is done Kathy and Don love to sit out front in the evening and enjoy the fruits of their labors. This shady, restful garden, with its curving flagstone path, receives many compliments from passersby.  Stop by and you’ll see why!

Other Garden Attractions

  • This low-maintenance garden is watered once a week.
  • The coast silk-tassels and redbuds will create privacy screens when mature.
  • Don’t miss the “before” photos!
  • The attractive back garden, while containing only a few natives, will also be open for viewing; the fountains are particularly welcoming to people, while birds love the feeders, bird house and bath, and the sound of falling water.

Gardening for Wildlife

Hummingbirds adore the fuchsia and hummingbird sage, and butterflies enjoy the yarrow.

Garden Talk

11:00 and 2:00 “How to design and install your own native plant garden; you can do it!”  by Don and Kathy Brancheau

Plant list



Photos

Click to see as a slideshow: