Lot size: 600 sq. ft. front, 340 sq. ft. side, and 1,000 sq. ft. back garden, 80% native
Garden Age: Garden was installed in stages, beginning in 2022
Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: New this year!
Showcase Feature
Long-time Garden Tour hosts Jen and Dan had their beautiful Alameda garden on the Tour several times. Recently, though, the wide-open, sunny spaces of Livermore beckoned, and they relocated. With an abundant native garden in mind, they consulted Todd Gilens of Todd Gilens Design and Dale Gaff, a retired landscape architect, and Dan’s father.
Their beautiful new back garden in Livermore, which Jen and Dan installed themselves, includes heat-loving natives, such as several types of manzanitas, white sage, apricot mallow, and penstemons. . They will share with you how they planted successfully in Livermore’s heavy clay, and also how to keep your garden dog-safe. The front garden was sheet mulched in the spring of 2023 and planted in the fall of 2023. Come see two young gardens that are already thriving in the inland sunshine.
(You might also like to watch this video on on how to sheetmulch, which is on the Tour’s YouTube channel.)
Other Garden Attractions
• Did you know you can get paid to remove your lawn? Check out the materials on lawn removal rebates that will be available.
Gardening for Wildlife
Scrub jays, house finches, goldfinches, woodpeckers, mockingbirds, sparrows, black phoebes, doves, chickadees, and hummingbirds now frequent the garden.
This garden has also attracted a variety of butterflies; you might spot gulf fritillaries, painted ladies, buckeyes, red admirals, swallowtails, and gray hairstreaks fluttering about.
Garden Talks
12:00 “How to sheet mulch your lawn away” by Dan Gaff
1:00 “The best plants for a pollinator garden” by Jen Hurley and Dan Gaff
Keystone species in this garden (watch this talk by Doug Tallamy!)
Keystone species—our own, local ecological powerhouse plants— in this garden include goldenrod, buckwheat, ceanothus, asters, sages, and penstemons.
Green Home Features
Solar panels were installed in 2022 and provide almost 100% of all electric power this home uses.
Wondering what to make for dinner? Try this recipe, which was submitted by garden tour host Jen Hurley!
Brussel sprout salad
