Granada Native Gardens
Livermore
Years gardened at this location: Planted April 2004
Size: 1/3 acre
Showcase feature: The Friends of the Arroyos have transformed a former trash-strewn vacant lot into a native plant garden in which more than 50 species of plants are separated into chaparral, woodland, grassland, and riparian plant communities. Picnic tables with endangered species mosaics made from donated pool tiles were made by a local Boy Scout troop for an Eagle Scout project. Three outdoor displays feature the garden map and plant list, a watershed map of Arroyo Mocho to the San Francisco Bay, and how the Arroyos are used to recharge the aquifer for future drinking water. This garden, planted just one year ago, was designed by Alrie Middlebrook of Middlebrook gardens.
Other garden attractions:
- Garden is heavily mulched to control weeds and conserve water.
- Interpretive signs describe the layout of the garden, the history of the creek, and water issues in Livermore.
- Broken cement was used to construct the picnic tables and benches.
- The garden will be watered for the first two years, until the plants are established, then watering will stop.
- River rock was donated by a gardener who no longer wanted it; a local tree service donated the mulch.
- Granada High School students have assisted with this project.
- Certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a "Backyard Wildlife Habitat."
Gardening for Wildlife:California fuschia and monkeyflowers attract hummingbirds. Large trees (oaks, cottonwood, big-leaf maple, and sycamores) provide nesting areas for birds. Logs provide shelter for lizards. Table mosaics of steelhead trout, red-legged frogs, and burrowing owls remind us of species that were once common here, but are now threatened.