Jan Enderle’s garden
Pleasant Hill
Lot size: 4,000 square feet; 50% native
Garden Age: the garden was planted in stages, beginning in 2001
Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: 5
Showcase feature:A graceful pond and waterfall attract wildlife and enchant visitors. The charming, small side garden, planted under the shade of a large valley oak, contains a variety of natives including Douglas iris, coral bells, native grape, California fescue, Dutchman’s pipevine, and fragrant coyote mint. Every inch of the postage-stamp sized back garden is used. The flagstone path, Cold Water Canyon stone retaining wall, waterfall, and pond were designed and installed by Ron DeGeorge of Vortex Water; the rest of the garden was designed and installed by Jan. The small front lawn has been replaced with a native wildflower meadow, which bursts with spring color.
Other garden attractions:
- Leaf litter is left as mulch in order to feed the soil, which, as Jan says, is as alive as the rest of the garden.
- Wide garden beds wrap around the reduced rear lawn.
- Edibles are scattered throughout the garden.
Gardening for Wildlife: In order to invite wildlife into the garden seeds are left to ripen on plants. The pond and waterfall attract a variety of wildlife; the shallow shelf is particularly inviting to the birds as they are protected from predators while bathing and drinking. The hedgerow along the rear fence is a haven for hummingbirds, ruby-throated kinglets, hermit thrushes, and woodpeckers. Toads, lizards, monarch butterflies, and dragonflies are frequently seen. Jan is particularly fond of the paper wasps that nest in the eaves, as wasps are a great bug patrol, hunting for aphids in the garden.