The Williams’ Family garden

Alameda

Lot size: 2,000 sq. ft. front garden and parking strip, 95% native

Garden Age: Garden was installed in the spring of 2015

Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: New this year!

Showcase Feature

When Heather and her husband purchased this 1890 Queen Anne home in 2011, they wanted a low maintenance garden that conserved water. In came Pete Veilleux of East Bay Wilds, who designed and installed this charming native plant garden, which fits beautifully with this historic neighborhood. The turf has been replaced with a hardy, water-conserving Carex pansa (California meadow sedge) lawn. A selection of beautiful native succulents thrive near the dry-stacked Napa basalt retaining wall.

Other Garden Attractions

• Antique cobblestones, which were brought to San Francisco as ballast in sailing ships in the 1800s, were used to pave the driveway.

• The back garden, which contains edibles, will also be open for viewing.

• Lawn conversion and irrigation rebates from the East Bay Municipal Utility District helped to pay for the garden transformation (and reduce the water bill!).

Gardening for Wildlife

Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds call this garden home. A woodpecker is occasionally seen, and owls can be heard calling to each other in the evenings.

Garden Talks

11:00 and 2:00 “Choosing and caring for the right manzanitas, California lilacs, and sages for your garden” by Pete Veilleux

Music in the Garden

The Rambling Minors, a bluegrass-playing band of talented youngsters, will perform between 10:00-11:00 and 12:00-1:00.

Plants Available
East Bay Wilds will sell native plants, including many varieties of the manzanitas, California lilacs, and sages featured in the talks



Photos

Click to see as a slideshow: