Rick Franklin and Janice Woo’s garden
El Cerrito
Lot size: 800 sq. ft. front, 1,000 sq. ft side and back garden beds, 90% native
Garden Age: Native garden was planted in the winter of 2006.
Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: 2
Showcase feature: Considerations of light and microclimates guided the plant choices in Rick and Janice’s garden, which Rick designed and installed. In spring and summer the small, sunny front garden is a blend of annuals, including Clarkia and Phacelia (which the bees adore), and a variety of perennials, such as hummingbird and black sage, and buckwheat and aster. Rick reports hearing many compliments about his exuberant front garden from the neighbors and passersby. The narrow garden beds on the side of the house, which receive dappled sunlight, are dotted with native strawberry and mint, while the back woodland garden, in the deep shade of a neighbor’s redwood, includes three types of fern, huckleberry, wild ginger, and a madrone, among other natives.
Other garden attractions:
- Native honeysuckle and virgin’s bower wrap around the front garden fence, which Rick designed and built.
- This garden is watered every two weeks at the beginning of the dry season, and less as summer progresses.
Gardening for Wildlife: Native bees have “gone crazy” since the lawn was removed and the garden planted with natives. Skippers, monarchs, and swallowtail butterflies are frequently seen nectaring in the front garden. Hummingbirds regularly visit the hummingbird sage, monkeyflower, and California fuschia. Chickadees nest in a birdhouse built specifically for them; titmice and finches are also seen in the garden. The bird feeder is squirrel-proof; the squirrels are fed peanuts in the back garden.