Lot size: 27' sq. ft. x 60' sq. ft. front garden, 95% native
Garden Age: This garden was installed in 2022
Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: 3
Showcase Feature
Inspired by the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour and Doug Tallamy’s talks, Janet and Ed asked Pete Veilleux to remove the non-native ornamentals in their front garden and design and install a low maintenance, water-conserving garden that would provide food, shelter, and nesting areas for birds, bees, butterflies, and other forms of wildlife.
This charming garden, just a little over three years old, is filling in well. Evergreen shrubs provide structure and stability throughout the year. Eight types of manzanitas (Emerald Carpet, Sentinel, Sunset, Ken Taylor, Morrow Bay, Fort Bragg, Big Berry, and Austin Griffiths) that range from prostrate to large shrubs and everything in between, will be magnificent when mature. The purple-blue blossoms of four kinds of California lilac (Heart’s Desire, Centennial, Valley Violet, and Diamond Heights) delight native bees and passersby alike.
Lupines, monkeyflower, blue-eyed grass, coyote mint, and poppies brighten the garden in spring, and coast and rosy buckwheats provide color and interest in the summer and fall. Shady areas of the garden are lush with ferns, ocean spray, coffeeberry, currants, hummingbird sage and coral bells.
Check out the “Share Shack” (aka Little Neighborhood Library) Ed made from a farmhouse window and other reused materials—note the living roof, with its potpourri of succulents.
Other Garden Attractions
• Janet “Leaves the leaves!” as the caterpillars of many butterflies and moths tuck themselves into leaf litter for protection from predators and cold.
• This garden is grazed by deer.
• Restroom is available!
Gardening for Wildlife
They arrived right away: Bewicks wrens nested in the garden almost as soon as it had been planted. Hummingbirds, drawn to the penstemon and monkeyflowers, sip nectar from their long, tubular flowers. Towhees search for insects in the soil, and finches glean seeds from the dried flower heads. Monarchs sense the milkweed and flutter through; bumblebees, other bees, grasshoppers, and damselflies also frequent the garden. In the quiet of the evenings fox frolic about, searching for rodents, insects, and berries.
Garden Talks
11:00 “How we went from burning fossil fuels to using nature’s energy—the experience of one household” by Janet Parks
2:00 “10 tips for gardening with native plants and 6 plants that surprise and delight” by Janet Parks
Keystone species (watch this talk by Doug Tallamy!)
Keystone species—our own, local ecological powerhouse plants— in this garden include currants, California lilac, manzanitas, sages, buckwheats, and penstemon.
Green Home Features!
After buying the house in 2015, to conserve energy Janet and Ed insulated the attic, floor, and exterior walls, and replaced the windows. Then they installed fourteen solar panels; as they have an electric vehicle, they were insulated from the recent high gas prices.
“Wanting to reduce fossil fuel pollution” Janet says, in 2017 they purchased an induction range (“It’s so easy to clean, heats up so fast, and we’re happy to know we’re not breathing combustion products while we’re cooking,”) and in 2022 they hired EcoPerformance Builders to remove their inefficient gas heaters and install a Sanco heat pump for heating water and two ducted Fujitsu heat pump systems for heating and cooling—one system is for their house, and the second for the Airbnb unit on their property. Not only are Janet and Ed protecting the environment and their own health by getting gas out of their homes, but it’s paying off financially—the PG&E bill last year for their home and the rental totaled about $900—and that included charging the car.
Come on in! Check out the induction stove, and take a look at the air return and vents for the ducted high-efficiency heat pump system (which both heats and cools the house—the free air conditioning has been wonderful on hot days!) On your way into the house, go to the right side of the porch, look down, and you can see the three heat pumps.) Information on the Sanco water heater will be available. There will be a demonstration showing how to use an electric car as a battery to run the lights and refrigerator power outages.
• All day: A friendly QuitCarbon staff member will be available all day to answer your electrification questions. Quit Carbon’s mission is to help homeowners transition to green energy; they can help you get a better, healthier, clean-energy dream home by giving you the confidence, information, and connections you need to go 100% electric. Chat with a QuitCarbon expert to learn how Quit Carbon can support you through every home upgrade—starting with a free electrification plan.
Ask them, the other volunteers who will be on hand, Janet, or Ed, any of your electrification questions!
At least partially wheelchair accessible? No
Great Recipe!
Easy Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles
