Growing Natives Garden Tour 2012

ELSEE (The Environmental Laboratory for Sustainability and Ecological Education) (4 photos)

Garden #47, San Jose

 

While this garden is open all year round, visiting it during the tour day provides an opportunity to ask the docents about any particularly interesting plants or features.

Address: 76 Race St., San Jose (click the address to show it on a map).

Directions: From 880, take exit 2 for the Alameda toward San Jose. After 1.2 miles, turn onto Race St. In .1 mile you will reach 76 Race St. on the left.

Showcase Features: This nursery and educational center has a mix of beautifully grown native plants and edibles. The centerpiece of the space is a butterfly-shaped raised bed. It is planted with a red fescue lawn mix mixed with butterfly-friendly flowers. Permeable gravel and concrete are used as paths and driveways.

Other Garden Attractions: The perimeter of the garden has mature native shrubs that have grown to amazing sizes. Some outstanding specimens include a large island mallow shrub (Lavatera assurgentiflora) that provides colorful pink blooms for much of the year, along with fragrant purple lilac verbena and coffeeberry. A fremontia is espaliered against the fence.

Gardening for Wildlife: This urban site was formerly a concrete parking lot. Wildlife is attracted with several water features, greywater/constructed wetland, pond, shrub cover, oak trees, sycamore, elderberry. Visitors include song birds, birds of prey, urban birds, hummingbirds, native bees, praying mantis, butterflies, ants, lizards, tree frogs.

Plants Available: On tour day, Middlebrook Gardens will conduct a plant sale at this garden. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Going Native Garden Tour. Please pay with cash or check.

Years of CA Native Gardening at this Location: 10

Garden Size: 11,300 sq ft

Designer: Alrie Middlebrook, Middlebrook Gardens
Installer: Middlebrook Gardens

Click here to display the plant list in a printer-friendly format (from year 2011).

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