Showcase Features: An ordinary small front yard made extraordinary because of native plants. The house is a rental, and the yard was reborn with hard work, ingenuity, and use of rebate program funding. The gardener (the tenant) convinced the Santa Clara Valley Water District to remove the invasive 60-year-old ivy on the fence bordering the yard and the creek, for free, as part of a creek mitigation effort. The yard also was full of weeds including crabgrass and oxalis. All of it is gone now due to mulching and weeding. Rebates covered most of the other costs. The total cost to the property owner: $0. Tenants and homeowners will be inspired by the before pictures contrasted with the current vibrant, wildlife magnet garden anchored by a long-blooming island tree mallow. Manzanita, Ceanothus and coyote brush provide a green lush look all year. Recent updates include a buckeye and chaparral currant by the driveway, toyon, mountain mahogany and dessert willow along the creek side, and a monkeyflower and several variety of buckwheat in the center areas. The neighbors love the cottage-style garden, and the gardener is hoping to inspire others.
Starting fall 2017, the conversion has been expanded to the back yard as well. Pink flowering currant, coffeeberry, blue elderberry, western redbud, cream bush, holly-leaf cherry and toyon were added along the fences. In the center, a quarter-circle shaped melic grass meadow, accented by blue-eyed grass and a young bladderpod, shares the space with John Dourley manzanita, showy island snapdragon, and Cleveland sage. Yarrow, hummingbird sage, seaside daisy, Douglas iris, and sunflower daisy provide additional seasonal color. Snowberry and yerba buena enjoy the shade of the house. A natural, mulched path edged by river rocks, meander throughout the back yard.

Other Garden Attractions: The big feature in the spring, when the winter rains have been good, is the spectacular wildflower display in the back yard, started from seeds purchased from Larner Seeds. Visitors are encouraged to take photos and videos and post them on social media!
The #GreerDucky_GNGT garden is featured in an article on March 29, 2019 in the Palo Alto Online.
There are 8 wonderful photos of the garden, however, to see these photos from a mobile device, you must click here.
A note from Cynthia (gardenowner/renter): "I would like to thank Marie Jasinsky of Zell Associates, the property manager, for partnering with me on the creekside ivy removal and the front garden installation. Also, many thanks to the owner who not only has let me completely renovate the landscape, but who originally suggested replacing the lawn."

Gardening for Wildlife: This is a wildlife magnet. Matadero Canal runs next to the house, a birdbath and several butterfly baths offer fresh water. A large variety of flowering species bring insects and provide nectar, berries and seeds throughout the year.

Years of CA Native Gardening at this Location: 3

Garden Size: 3100

Designer: Renter, Earthcare Landscaping, Agi Kehoe Landscaping
Installer: Renter, Earthcare Landscaping, Agi Kehoe Landscaping

Click here to display the plant list in a printer-friendly format.