Lot size: 300 sq. ft. front, 1,100 sq. ft. back garden, 85% native
Garden Age: Garden was installed in 2022
Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: New this year!
Showcase Feature
When Mayur and Namita purchased the house in 2021 the back garden was mostly concrete, sparsely dotted with fruit trees and roses. The front yard, sparing the presence of a single magnolia, was a blank slate staged with potted succulents and black mulch. The couple envisioned a garden that would invite butterflies, birds, and native bees to visit, and also be a place where they could gather with friends and connect with nature. Upon learning about the tremendous ecological benefits of native gardening, the homeowners decided to plant a California native plant garden that would be low-water consuming and low-maintenance, and that would bring in wildlife.
The transformation began with concrete removal, and careful soil amendment. Together with Jason Lachick, owner of Butterfly Effect Gardens, Namita and Mayur designed the garden and selected the plants.
Shade-loving natives, such as ginger, hummingbird sage, woodland strawberry and huckleberry, were planted under the fruit trees. In sunnier areas of the garden a colorful array of natives brighten the garden: yellow gum plant, purple sage and penstemon, lavender asters, blue California lilac, and orange monkeyflowers and poppies mingle with the blossoms of red fuchsia, magenta hummingbird sage, pink redbud, and cream-colored yarrow and milkweed.
Other Garden Attraction
• Vigorously spreading Lippia, also known as frogfruit, bears small lavender-pink flowers from spring through fall, and functions as a lawn substitute.
Gardening for Wildlife
Hummingbirds sip nectar from the long, tubular, firecracker red flowers of the fuchsia and Island snapdragon. Imperiled monarch butterflies, which can only lay eggs on milkweed, do so in this garden. Their caterpillars can be seen in summer, noshing on the leaves of the narrowleaf milkweed, our locally-native variety. Butterflies nectar on asters, yarrow, and gumplant.
Native bees are drawn to the native sage, California lilac, and poppies. A bee house waits hopefully for native bee visitors. The bird bath provides much-needed water for the titmice, nuthatches, chickadees, and finches that frequent the garden.
Keystone species (watch this talk by Doug Tallamy!)
Keystone species—our own, local ecological powerhouse plants— in this garden include huckleberry, currant, aster, native strawberry, buckwheat, coffeeberry, sage, and penstemon.
Green Home Features
Solar panels reduce the PG&E bill.
At least partially wheelchair accessible? No
Parking will be tight: be prepared to walk a block or two. Do not block neighbors’ driveways.
