Showcase Features: This small suburban lot is a bit of native paradise nestled among the old, conventional style landscapes of the surrounding neighborhood. The large lawns and neatly sheered exotic shrubs were replaced with a wildflower and bunch grass meadow in the front and colorful flowerbeds in the back. A large collection of natives can be found in containers as well.

Other Garden Attractions: Unique garden art and paintings by Roan Victor and Jana Morgan are showcased throughout the entire property. The meadow in the front is accented by two western redbuds, a Ray Hartman ceanothus and Louis Edmonds manzanita. Perennial wildflowers include yarrow, blue flax, California poppy, Douglas iris, seaside daisy, checkerbloom, California buttercup, single leaf onion, California fuchsia and buckwheat. The grasses include purple needlegrass, red fescue and deergrass. Unusual natives include a climbing wild cucumber and piggyback plant. The back yard is highlighted by a comfortable patio, and a meandering Mariposa slate garden path. A wooden bench under the rare, Santa Cruz Cypress, offers a cool spot with a view to a solar-powered urn fountain, favored by hummingbirds and pheobes. Pacific wax myrtle offers a tall privacy screen and provides shade for woodland shrubs and perennials, including snowberry, creek dogwood, ocean spray, pink-flowering currant, western columbine, hummingbird sage, coastal wood fern, woodland sanicle, fringe cups, coral bells, yerba buena, false solomon's seal, and elk clover.

Gardening for Wildlife: The garden is certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a wildlife habitat and attracts many kinds of birds, insects, small mammals and lizards.

☺ Garden Talk: The evolution of our meadow.

Years of CA Native Gardening at this Location: 16

Garden Size: 5000 sq ft

Designer: Agi Kehoe
Installer: Agi Kehoe and Benz's Landscaping & Tree Care

Click here to download the plant list in PDF format (from year 2010).