Virtual Tour Menu View Photos View Movie: Video Tour 1 View Movie: Video Tour 2
Showcase Features: Ten years ago the homeowner began converting a tired juniper/lawn combo front yard to a garden featuring an impressive collection of native wildflowers and shrubs. Jays planted the large Valley Oak and Coast Live Oak that shelter the side about 15 years ago.. A Louis Edmunds manzanita is a focal near the walkway to the front door. Other shrubs include groundcover flannel bush, western elderberry, island mallow, California sagebrush, mountain mahogany, western redbud, various manzanitas, California buckwheats and woolly blue curls. In spring the sunny areas blaze with wildflowers, all grown from seed. There are several different kinds of lupine, gilia, blue flax, clarkia, phacelia, monkey flowers and others. Bee's bliss sage, Lessingia 'Silver Carpet', desert mallow and Aster chilensis are blooming ground covers. In the center of the "meadow is a display of 6 different Dudleya. In the shade you can see western columbine, sierra columbine and hillside gooseberry. Don't miss this incredibly colorful DIY front yard! The Back yard is primarily for propagation of native plants for Alum Rock Park as well as the garden. There are 4 different Ribes, a couple different Salvias and several different Buckwheat. There are several containers in the back yard that house Calochortus venustus and Triteleia (laxa and ixioides) that were grown from seed procured from the plant sale a few years ago. In 2019. a non-native oak in the back yard was removed and replaced with a young redbud. The junipers in the front were all removed and replaced with various manzanitas, including rare Arctostaphylos franciscana. The butterfly bush was cut down and will be replaced with a new Ribes aureum.

Other Garden Attractions: Many new plants in this collector's garden were propagated by the homeowner from cuttings and seeds. Propagation efforts include two Buckeyes, a bunch of Buckwheat, 6 Ribes, coyote mint and dessert mallow as well as others. Another highlight of the garden are several locally native plants grown from seed. These include native forms of Gum weed, Narrow leaf mules ears, hillside gooseberry and Toyon. The conversion to native plants is still ongoing; there are 3 new Manzanita, Arctostaphylos 'John Dourley', Arctostaphylos edmundsii 'Carmel Sur' and several Carmel creeper ceanothus. Ranunculus californicus is planted in a new native section under the oaks. Rare Plants include Arctostaphylos franciscana, Arctostaphylos edmundsii "Rosy Dawn", Fremontodendron decumbens, Dudleya virens ssp. virens, Ribes viburnifolium, Sedum laxum ssp. Heckneri, Sedum laxum ssp. flavidum, Lewisia longipetala and Sedum obtusatum ssp. Paradisum.

Gardening for Wildlife: A valley oak and a coastal live oak provide food and shelter for wildlife. Anna's hummingbirds, scrub jays, mockingbirds, titmice. Red tail hawks, and an occasional red shouldered hawk have been seen in the garden.

Years of CA Native Gardening at this Location: 15

Garden Size: 12,500 sq ft

Designer: Homeowner
Installer: Homeowner

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