Jo McCondochie’s garden
Oakland
Lot size: 6,800 sq. ft. lot, 80% native
Garden Age: Native garden was installed in stages, beginning in 2003.
Years on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: New this year!
Showcase feature: This sloping, terraced garden has undergone a number of transformations in the last forty years; from Monterey pine and lawn (the watering of which flooded the basement); to bounteous vegetable garden (the corn-field was near the street); and then, when a lower maintenance, more water-conserving garden was in order, to native plants. Jo, who has taken classes on natives at the Tilden Regional Parks Botanic Garden, and is a docent there, regards natives as “fun and fascinating.” She also says she doesn’t like “tidy” gardens, but prefers a natural, evolving look. A deer grass hedge lines the driveway; the front garden’s vivacious stand of giant buckwheat is glorious in the summer. The sloping side garden contains Douglas iris, rosy buckwheat, and currants; an apple tree is espaliered against the house. The native garden, a family affair, was designed and installed by Jo and her son, Alasdair, daughter-in-law, Gretchen, and granddaughter, Cally.
Other garden attractions:
- This garden is freely browsed by deer; what’s left is what they don’t eat.
- The back garden contains aged but prolific pear and apple trees, roses, and a potpourri of natives, including aster, prostrate manzanitas, and a flowering currant hedge.
Gardening for Wildlife: Cedar waxwings, warblers, hummingbirds, finches, titmice, and nuthatches are seen in the garden. Squirrels, opossums, raccoons, gophers and many insects also frequent the garden.