Anne and Ed Severs’ Garden
Livermore
Gardening experience: 3 years with natives
Years gardened at this location: Garden planted August 2004
Size: 2,500 square foot front garden only is on the tour
Showcase feature: The plants in this garden, which are mostly local natives, were collected off nearby Mines Road and grown in Livermore. Undulating berms provide drainage for chaparral plants, which are separated from a sedge meadow by a dry creek bed containing mixed cobbles and boulders. The garden, certified as a "Wildlife Habitat" by the National Wildlife Federation and beloved by the neighborhood children, was designed and installed by Alrie Middlebrook of Middlebrook Gardens.
Other garden attractions:
- Plants will receive no summer water once established.
- The original garden - lawn, juniper and ivy - was demolished. Check out the 'before' photos.
- A dandy binder of information on the native plants in the garden has been compiled; ask the gardeners if you are interested in seeing this.
- Ask the friendly plant sale staffer about natives that will do well in your garden!
Gardening for Wildlife: Native nectar, pollen, fruit, nut- and seed-producing plants, such as milkweed, coyote mint, manzanita, California fuschia, lupine, sage, and buckwheat provide food, shelter, and nesting areas for wildlife. A pair of quail and 11-inch-long chicks were seen strolling through the garden last summer. Butterflies and bumblebees adore the coyote mint. Hummingbirds are attracted to the sage, monkeyflower, fuschia, and Keckelia. Songbirds and spiders are among the other happy residents in this garden.
Plants sold or given away: Mines Road Natives Nursery will be selling native plants that thrive in the Tri-Valley area.