Glen Schneider’s garden
Berkeley
Garden Lot size: 5,200 square feet
Years gardened at this location (Gardening Experience): 10 years (38 years), 100% native
Showcase feature: Glen, a native plant enthusiast and garden designer, has created a landscape reminiscent of what the Berkeley flats might have looked like prior to the arrival of Europeans. The approach is restoration, and the style is wild and natural. This garden contains more than 75 species of local native woodland and grassland plants grown from seeds and cuttings gathered from within two or three miles of Glen’s home; it now has the look and feel of the hills and woods beyond town. In the shady areas woodland plants have been introduced; in the sunny spots, native bunchgrass prairie has been reestablished. Plants are allowed to grow over and into each other, seeding about and finding where they are most happy. The total out-of-pocket cost of converting this garden from an English cottage garden to a native haven for wildlife was about $150. The natives receive no summer water.
Other garden attractions:
- Stop at the California and Dwight traffic island (1.5 blocks south of Glen’s) and check out the natives that neighbors planted.
Gardening for Wildlife:Native wildlife, especially the flying creatures, have returned in droves. Berries, seeds, nuts, nectar, pollen, nesting areas, and shelter for wildlife are amply provided, and there is no dead-heading in this wildlife- and insect-friendly garden! Native bees spend the night under dried yarrow flowers. Forty-four species of birds, twelve species of butterflies, and over two hundred species of insects and spiders have been found in the garden. Crickets chirp cheerily in the evenings—give them the habitat and they will return.
Garden Talks: 11:00 and 2:00 "How to Create a Wildlife Habitat Garden Using Local Native Plants" by Glen Schneider