Debbi Brusco's garden
Hayward
Lot size: 1,500 sq. ft. front garden only on tour, 99% native
Garden Age: Garden was installed early in 2007.
Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: New this year!
Showcase feature: Prior to its transformation the garden consisted of a lawn, which Debbi reluctantly mowed, bamboo, agapanthus, and two large mimosa trees. Debbi enjoys the out-of-doors, and wanted to bring nature closer to home. What a dramatic change! In spring, in addition to the lavender flowers of the native aster and the luscious creamy yarrows, the garden is bright with annual wildflowers, such as poppies, birds eye gilia, clarkia, and baby blue eyes. Summer is when the yellow goldenrod, pink and white buckwheats, and red fuchsia are in flower. This garden was designed by Peigi Duvall of Indig Design, and installed by Pete Veilleux of East Bay Wilds.
Other garden attractions:
- A dry creek bed meanders across the front garden, bordered by a large happy California sage, and a healthy stand of coyote mint.
- Native strawberry, coral bells, and prostrate manzanita are used as a groundcover.
- A tall stand of flowering current softens the lines of the house.
- Don’t miss the “before” photos!
Gardening for Wildlife: Green sweat bees adore the rosy buckwheat, and bumble bees frolic in the poppies. Other solitary native bees, such as the metallic greet sweat bees, honey bees, beneficial wasps, crickets, and butterflies, such as the common checkered skipper, also frequent this garden.
Garden Talks: 11:00 “How to remove your lawn and create a native plant garden” by Peigi Duvall, of Indigo Design