Jamie Marantz’ garden 🐦

Showcase Feature

Undaunted by the enormous slabs of pink concrete and falling down fences in the back yard of her newly purchased home, Jamie set about creating a garden that is inviting to people, as well as wildlife. A patio, vine covered pergola, barbecue area and raised beds for edibles, combined with a riot of colorful natives, variety of leaf textures, diversity of plant forms, and fragrant blossoms, have transformed the yard into a haven for birds, native insects and people.

A diverse selection of keystone plants—local natives species that provide important habitat for wildlife—are irresistible to birds, butterflies and bees, which flit, flutter, and buzz through this inviting oasis. Jamie began by working with a knowledgeable native gardener and taking advantage of local native plant sales.

Other Garden Attractions

• A plethora of keystone species—hollyleaf cherry, manzanitas, California lilac, lupines, currants, sages, and buckwheats bring in the pollinators, and are plants on which our local butterflies and moths can lay their eggs.
• The plants in this garden result in a nearly year-round blooming season—which is what’s needed to be in sync with the lifecycles of our native bees.
• Narrow leaf and showy milkweeds were planted for the endangered monarch butterfly, and Dutchman’s pipevine was included in the garden for the beautiful pipevine swallowtail butterfly as these the only plants (respectively) these butterflies can lay their eggs on.
• A swale and dry creek bed retain rainwater, keeping the garden green longer, and protecting the local creek from scouring, and replenishing the groundwater supply.
• Having a variety of native plants growing near the edibles results in an abundance of delicious, nutritious produce, as many edibles, such as eggplant and okra, are highly dependent on pollinators to produce high yields.
• Don’t miss the “before” photos.

Gardening for Wildlife

• Before the transformation birds were hardly ever seen in the garden; Jamie has now spotted more than twenty species of birds from her deck, including hooded orioles, Bewick’s wrens, black phoebes, red breasted nuthatches, Townsend’s warblers, and several species of woodpeckers. Hawks keep watch on the action from overhead.

  Butterflies and native bees are commonly seen gathering nectar and pollen from the more than sixty species of natives plants found in this garden.

Keystone species in this garden (watch this talk by Doug Tallamy!)
Keystone species—our own, local ecological powerhouse plants — in this garden include holly leaf cherry, currants, California lilac, manzanita, buckwheat, lupine, aster, golden rod, sage, and penstemon.

Short, fun videos of Jamie Marantz’ garden

Trek to Baby Garden Land

“Flatlands makeover: Conquering concrete, and creating places for pollinators, people and Paloma (the dog)” by Jamie Marantz

Plant list

Bird list