John Muir National Historic Site ♿️ #43

Martinez

Lot size: 3,000 sq. ft. garden at visitor’s center, 100% native

Garden Age: Native garden was installed in the fall of 2007.

Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour:

Showcase Feature
On Earth Day in 2007 volunteers and Park Superintendent Lucy Lawliss eyed the sterile lawn and exotics growing in front of the visitor center; realizing that this landscape was not reflective of John Muir’s life-long passion for natural habitats, they hatched a plan to create a garden that was.

In August of that year the lawn was removed, and the transformation began. The resulting vibrant, low-maintenance garden was designed by Greg Wolford; it is maintained by volunteers from Friends of Alhambra Creek, the California Native Plant Society and others. The native garden was doubled in size by a BSA Eagle Scout candidate in 2012, who bravely tackled the old turf and landscape fabric.

Other Garden Attractions
• Narrowleaf and showy milkweed has been planted to provide places on which monarch butterflies can lay their eggs (they can only lay their eggs on milkweed).
• Delicate and airy yampah has been massed to attract the beautiful yellow and black anise swallowtail butterflies, which lay eggs on this plant.

• The transformed garden has been a real water savings for the park. The water-consuming lawn is gone, and the natives are watered only occasionally in the summer.
• Find out how you can receive a rebate of up to $2,000 to remove and replace your lawn with a water-wise garden! At this garden, flyers will be available with information on the Contra Costa Water District’s Lawn to Garden Rebate and free Landscape Design Assistance Program. If you include 70% or more natives in your plan you can have your own garden on the Tour!
• Restrooms are available!

Gardening for Wildlife
Where natives bloom, wildlife follows! Native bees, butterflies, and ladybugs are at home here. Berry-bearing trees and shrubs, such as toyon, berberis, and manzanita, attract birds.