Lot size: 1,500 sq. ft. front garden, 98% native
Garden Age: Garden was installed in stages, beginning in 2010
Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: 3
Showcase Feature
Inspired by the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour, Karen and Jeremy decided to sheet-mulch away their large, thirsty lawns—much to their delight, they found when they did so their water bill was cut in half. Kelly Marshall of Kelly Marshall Garden Design designed their front and rear low-maintenance, water-conserving gardens in phases. The front yard was installed in 2013 and was paid for, in part, by a $500 rebate from the Contra Costa Water District’s Lose the Lawn and Grow a Garden program. The plants were installed by Karen and Jeremy.
The rear garden was redesigned in 2020 when Karen and Jeremy decided to remove their large swimming pool. A patio with decomposed granite paths connecting to a boardwalk, a shade structure, and a fountain bed, along with a plethora of native plants have transformed the yard into a place filled with happy Amos family members and friends, as well as birds, butterflies, and bees.
Other Garden Attractions
- The terraced slope of the front garden brims with a variety of manzanitas, California lilac, and blue-blooming native perennials, which contrast with the poppies that brighten up the garden.
- Find out how you can receive a rebate of up to $1000 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!
Gardening for Wildlife
A variety of birds visit the fountain daily, including lesser goldfinches, black phoebes, and Western bluebirds. Anna’s and Allen’s hummingbirds sip nectar from the wooley bluecurls and California fuschia, and white-crowned sparrows forage for seeds under the globe mallow. Carpenter bees love the sages; other native bees adore the local, slender milkweed.
