Al and Barbara Kyte’s garden
Moraga
Lot size: 8,500 square feet, 90% native
Garden Age: Native garden was planted in stages, beginning in the early 1970’s
Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: 3
Showcase feature: This lovely, low-maintenance garden illustrates how a typical suburban lot can be transformed into a landscape with a natural, woodsy feel. You are invited to access the front garden by walking between two 15-foot vine maples, up a dry stream bed, and through a manzanita-based chaparral that remains attractive throughout the year. In the back yard, trails lead through a varied, open woodland to a twenty-five foot long stream that tumbles down through off-set falls, a meander, and a shallow riffle/bird beach area before spilling into a fish and turtle pond.
Other garden attractions:
- This garden, 35 years in development, contains over 100 species of California natives. Most of the established plants receive no summer water.
- Japanese garden concepts have shaped the design of this yard.
- Mountain mahogany, pines and toyons create an attractive, see-through canopy.
- Al, a professional fly fishing author and teacher, artfully designed one straight line in the back garden for his fly casting practice without detracting from the gently-curving natural look.
Gardening for Wildlife: Bird houses, suet and seed feeders, bird baths, and a shallow stream riffle, brush piles and dust bath areas, and abundant plant cover have attracted over 90 species of birds, including California thrashers, western tanagers, and black-throated gray warblers. Rock outcroppings, wood piles, and sandy areas for egg-laying add habitat for western fence and alligator lizards. Sharp-tailed snakes reside in this garden and gopher snakes frequently pass through.
Garden Talks: 12:00 and 3:00 “Concepts that Guided My Landscaping” by Al Kyte