Christine Schneider’s Garden
Berkeley
Gardening experience: 23 years
Years gardened at this location: 11 years
Size: 6,500 square feet
Showcase feature: This gardener wanted a home where she “could start from scratch, and use native plants in a way that made the landscape look like a cared-for garden.” The garden, once a weedy mess complete with a shallow fish pond filled with cactus mix, is now a lush series of outdoor rooms reached on an attractive stone path. A diversity of native plants have been incorporated into this garden, which was designed and installed by Christine, owner of Native Sage Landscape Design.
© Saxon Holt Photography
Other garden attractions:
- Native ornamental strawberry groundcover is ringed by rocks to form a counterpoint to the lawn area.
- Parts of the backyard are not watered at all.
- Sheet mulch was used to control the numerous weeds in the garden.
- Native plant selection, along with mulch and soaker hoses, result in very low water use.
- Worm castings are used as fertilizer.
- A branch of Derby Creek runs under this 93-year-old house.
© Saxon Holt Photography
Gardening for Wildlife: Buckeye, skipper, monarch, and tiger swallowtail butterflies are frequent visitors to this wildlife-friendly garden. Many different kinds of birds visit this garden, including finches, robins, nuthatches, song sparrows, and hummingbirds. Bumblebees, honeybees, and native bees visit the many nectar sources in the garden. Bumblebees love the bee plant. A small urn fountain attracts wildlife with the sound of falling water.
Garden Talk:12:00 and 3:00 "How to care for natives once they are in the ground—guidelines for watering and weeding"