Lot size: 400 sq. ft. front, 600 sq. ft. back native gardens, 85% native
Garden Age: Garden was installed in stages, beginning in 2021
Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: New this year!
Showcase Feature
There’s a lot happening on this large lot in Cherryland! The 14,000 square feet of landscaped area in this garden includes an eclectic collection of native plants, a cornucopia of exotic fruit trees, two charming Nigerian dwarf goats, a noisy African guineafowl, a large seating area with a charming gazebo, and chickens.
Toku and Keegan are among the founders of Plantify, a non-profit whose mission is to connect people with nature through a creative combination of gardening, art, science, urban farming, and outdoor experiences. Sign up at the Plantify table if you’d like to be notified about their free guided nature walks, plant-based workshops, and other events.
This Japanese-California native fusion garden was designed by Toku, and installed by Toku and his partner, Keegan. It combines the relaxing sound of water falling through the clasped hands of a kimono-draped woman and into a three-tiered fountain, a bamboo “mystery” fence – ‘kakine (垣根) — with an adjacent beguiling red bridge that guides one from an inviting seating area into a new garden room, the seasonal changes of deciduous plants, and the random sounds of birdsong.
The cornucopia of native plants in this garden include four kinds of sages (pitcher, white, Cleveland, and black), four types of buckwheat (bright yellow sulpher, pink rosy, and the cream-colored Santa Cruz Island and Santa Barbara Island buckwheats), and a collection of native trees and shrubs such as the California hop tree, box elder, Catalina cherry, madrone, and coast silktassle.
A cheerful array of wildflowers, including electric yellow buttercups, purple and white Chinese houses, pink clarkias, blue-lavender phacelias, blue flax, and orange poppies brighten the garden in spring.
Fragrant natives in this garden include the sages listed above, spice bush, mugwort, California lilac, California rose, wooly blue curls, yerba buena, yerba santa, coyote mint, and pink currant.
Among the fruits growing in this garden are cherimoya, finger limes, ice-cream-bean, tree tomatoes, guavas and passionfruit.
Other Garden Attractions
• Two friendly Nigerian dwarf goats, Mochi and Sakura, who were brought in to remove the “impenetrable mat of ivy,” Bermuda grass, and other weeds that had engulfed the back part of this large lot, can be petted.
• Drop down in one of the outdoor seating areas and take a rest!
• Kokedama is the Japanese art of growing plants in a ball wrapped and covered by moss. DIY Kokedama moss kits will be available for sale; check out the samples that will be on display.
Gardening for Wildlife
The sound of falling water attracts birds (and people!). Western bluebirds, finches, and hummingbirds nest in the garden. Barn owls have been spotted resting in the tall trees that border the garden, and hawks soar overhead. Monarch, swallowtail, sulfur, and checkerspot butterflies sip nectar from the plants. Ground-nesting bees make cozy, underground homes in dry parts of the garden, and hummingbird moths have been seen in the early evening, waiting impatiently for the fragrant desert willow – ‘Maggie’s Pink’ blossoms to open.
Dutchman’s pipevine has been planted, as it is the only plant the large iridescent blue-black pipevine swallowtail butterfly can lay its eggs on.
Garden Talks
12:00 “Bringing nature into the metropolis with native biophilic gardens” by Toku Hankins
1:00 “Edible and useful native plants from the gardens” by Keegan Pham
Keystone species (watch this talk by Doug Tallamy!)
Keystone species—our own, local ecological powerhouse plants— in this garden include Catalina cherry, California lilac, currants, manzanitas, sage, buckwheat, lupine, aster, and penstemon.
At least partially wheelchair accessible? Yes
Parking
There is no parking on this narrow street; visitors will need to park at the intersections of Hampton Road and either Camden Avenue or Western Blvd., and walk the short distance to the house.
