Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour

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Saturday, April 16, 2022

10:00 Welcome, Kathy Kramer, Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour

10:15–11:15 Keynote speaker and best-selling author Doug Tallamy “The Nature of Oaks”

11:15–11:35 Q and A with Doug Tallamy

11:35–12:00 “Ten best native plants for sunny areas” Kathy Kramer

12:00-12:30 Alan Harper and Carol Baird’s garden, Oakland (Visit this garden on Saturday, April 30, 2022)
A majestic north-facing oak and bay woodland with a thriving, diverse understory of native plants graces this lovely property. If you have oaks, this garden is a must-see!

12:30–12:40 Preview of Sunday, April 17 online Tour

12:40 – 12:45 Kathy Kramer – Introduction to Green Home Features in this year’s Tour
Heat pumps, induction ranges, solar panels, other? Why you should care, and where can you see them?

12:45–1:30 Stefanie Pruegel’s garden + green home features, San Leandro, (Visit this garden on Saturday, April 30, 2022)
More than 100 species of natives, plants of varying heights, a fountain, and a plethora of seed- and berry-bearing plants, as well as nectar- and pollen-providing flowers, have attracted 25 species of birds, bumblebees, skippers, hairstreaks, Acmon blue,and orange sulfur butterflies. And Stefanie will be talking about these green home features! Solar panels; storage battery; smart panel; ductless mini-split heat pump for heating and cooling; heat pump hot water heater; insulation in attic, walls and under floor; and her three 1,000 gallon rainwater catchment tanks.

1:30 Atmos Financial: Changing your bank can help fight climate change
Atmos’ goal is to provide permanent positive environmental and societal impact by shifting money away from activities that directly harm our planet, and towards those that help preserve it. Our pledge is to only lend to sectors that help to rapidly accelerate our transition towards a clean, fair, and transformed economy. Join us to learn more!

1:30–2:00 Preview of the Bayside Gardens on the in-person Tour!

2:00–2:30 Victoria’s Garden Pollinator Corridor, Oakland, (Visit these gardens on Saturday, April 30, 2022)
In honor of her late wife, Victoria, Angela Fitzsimons asked Naomi Vinbury to create “Victoria Gardens” a block-long pollinator corridor for monarch and swallowtail butterflies. Together, Angela and Naomi knocked on neighbors’ doors, requesting permission to plant any part of the neighbors’ front garden. Fifteen homeowners offered to participate in the project, yielding 2’ x 2’ patches around a utility pole in one case, entire parking strips in several others, or specific sections of their front gardens.

These tiny sanctuaries offer butterflies, moths, native bees, and other insects plants on which they can sip nectar, gather pollen, and reproduce—many butterflies and moths can only breed on specific native plants; the monarch butterfly, for instance, will only lay eggs on milkweed. Join us to learn more about this terrific ecological restoration project. (We hope it will help you consider how you might help create a butterfly corridor on your own block!)

2:30–3:00 “The beauty of new life: spring in the native plant garden” by Al Kyte, Moraga (Visit this garden on Sunday, May 1, 2022)
#4 of the six videos in the “Dimensions of Beauty” series Al Kyte has made on gardening with California native plants. Join us in visiting Al’s garden in March and April, when the garden comes to life with poppies and ceanothus, that lead a parade of colorful blooms. Pipeline swallowtail butterflies, native bees, and emerging lizards again become active.

Sunday, April 17, 2022

10:00 – Welcome, Kathy Kramer, Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour

10:15 – 10:30 “Ten best native plants for shady areas” Kathy Kramer

10:30-11:15 Anne Chambers and Ed McAlpine’s garden + green home features, Moraga (Visit this garden on Sunday, May 1, 2022)
Anne and Ed replaced their pool and large lawn with a plethora of native plants, and a variety of edibles, including thirty varieties of fruit trees and a potpourri of vegetables. Grey foxes, quail, and western fence and alligator lizards frequent the garden.

Step inside the kitchen and see how the induction range works, and learn about why we should be replacing our gas stoves with induction. Check out the Tesla solar roof tiles and two lithium Tesla PowerWall batteries, and the electric whole house fan.

11:15–11:45 Amelia Petrovic’s Oakland garden

11:45–12:15 Preview of the Inland Gardens on the in-person Tour!

12:15–12:45 “How to prune native plants – in Natalie and Armand’s garden” by Pete Veilleux, Alameda
Pete Veilleux, a landscape designer and owner of East Bay Wilds Native Plant Nursery will prune a variety of native manzanitas, while also taking us on a tour of this charming Alameda garden.

12:45 Atmos Financial: Changing your bank can help fight climate change
Atmos’ goal is to provide permanent positive environmental and societal impact by shifting money away from activities that directly harm our planet, and towards those that help preserve it. Our pledge is to only lend to sectors that help to rapidly accelerate our transition towards a clean, fair, and transformed economy. Join us to learn more!

12:45–1:15 “The beauty of peak bloom” Al Kyte, Moraga (Visit this garden on Sunday, May 1, 2022)

#5 of the six videos in the “Dimensions of Beauty” series Al Kyte has made on gardening with California native plants. Early May marks the time of peak bloom in the garden—our most complete range of vibrant color. Baby quail and other young animals and birds add to our pleasure.

1:15–1:45 Kat Weiss’ garden, Livermore
To avoid shocking the neighbors, Kat has chosen a Zen-like approach to transforming this garden; she is removing the non-natives little by little and replacing them with our own local keystone species, which provide the best habitat for our winged friends. Come check out the newly installed native plants that are of the greatest value to wildlife, including blue and coast live oaks, a variety of manzanitas, California lilacs, currants, sages, and buckwheats.

1:45–2:00 Close