Lot size: 510 sq. ft. back garden, 80% native
Garden Age: Garden was installed in the fall of 2023
Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: New this year!
Showcase Feature
Before its transformation, the backyard had consisted of a swing set, engulfed by 60- year-old wisteria vines. Enter Lois Simonds, owner of Gardening by Nature’s Design, who designed and installed this charming, colorful, floriferous English-style cottage garden, which complements the stately feel of the 1905 house.
Stroll under the arched gateway to enter this peaceful and secluded garden. Antique black limestone pavers were set in a pinwheel pattern that does not repeat. Dry stacked tumbled Connecticut bluestone was used to create an oval seating area that encloses the patio. The curving garden beds are lined with Napa basalt boulders, and planted with an attractive mix of lavender aster and coyote mint, purple Cleveland sage, creamy-white buckwheats, yellow goldenrod. And red fuchsia Four types of manzanita (‘Refugio,” ‘Sunset,’ ‘Howard McMinn,’ ‘Emerald Carpet,’) coffeeberry, sedges, and a ground-cover coyote brush provide stability and greenery throughout the year.
Adirondack chairs invite one to take a seat and enjoy this peaceful garden: go ahead and settle in—you won’t want to leave!
Other Garden Attractions
• Check out the beautiful lighting, chosen and installed by Lois.
• Rainwater from the roof is routed into an underground cistern on the north side of the patio that releases the water slowly, creating a verdant wetland. Retaining rainwater onsite keeps the garden green longer, protects the local creek from scouring, and helps to replenish the aquifer.
Gardening for Wildlife
Narrowleaf milkweed was planted as milkweed is the only plant the endangered monarch butterfly can lay its eggs on. The numerous keystone species in this garden were selected to provide places on which butterflies and moths can lay their eggs, and birds can find the insects they need to feed their chicks.
Keystone species (watch this talk by Doug Tallamy!)
Keystone species—our own, local ecological powerhouse plants— in this garden include holly leaf cherry, hazelnut, huckleberry, manzanitas, asters, sages, buckwheat, coffeeberry, and coyote brush.
Green Home Features
A Chilltrex air-to-water heat pump heats and cools the house—check out the compressor, which is under the deck.
This house also has solar panels, an induction range, an EV charger, and a whole house fan.
Garden Talks
11:00 “Designing a California native plant garden – emphasizing the dynamic relationship between textures & colors ” by Lois Simonds
2:00 “Designing a California native plant garden – how to create a sense of place, connection and dynamic relationship”
At least partially wheelchair accessible? No
Parking
Parking will be tight on this busy street. Be prepared to park a couple of blocks away and walk.
