Lot size: 1,550 sq. ft. front garden
Garden Age: The garden was installed in 2013
Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: New this year!
Showcase Feature
Phyllis has long vacationed in the mountains; when she bought this house her goal was to recreate the ecological vibrancy of the meadows she saw in natural areas. Realizing that she didn’t know enough about the plants’ sun and water needs, and how big they would be when mature, Phyllis found Four Dimensions Landscape Company through the Tour, and they designed and install the garden. Out went the lawn and gingko (neither of which provides any value to our local wildlife), and in came red and Idaho fescues, which are accompanied by a potpourri of blue-eyed grass, fuchsia, coyote mint, hummingbird sage, monkeyflowers and more. Right behind them came butterflies, bees, other insects, and birds.
Phyllis, who enjoys the natural appearance of the garden, says, “The garden gives me joy all the time; I love how alive it is, and how much life it has attracted.”
Other Garden Attractions
• This garden is not watered at all.
• Deergrass, with its gracefully arching leaves, has a fountain-like appearance that people enjoy—and provides birds with seeds, nesting materials, and cover.
• a buckeye, which brightens the garden in spring with its exuberant masses of showy, cream-colored, six-inch long flowers.
Gardening for Wildlife
Hummingbirds, finches, mourning doves and jays frequent the garden, noshing on insects, sipping nectar, and gathering seeds.
Garden Talks
11:00 “Creating a Sierra landscape” by Phyllis Rothman
Keystone species in this garden (watch this talk by Doug Tallamy!)
Keystone species—our own, local ecological powerhouse plants— in this garden include California lilac, aster, manzanita, currant, sages, and buckwheats.
