Showcase Features: Front lawn replaced with wildlife habitat that includes a
blue elderberry and a sedge meadow. In the back, the kids enjoy a play structure and playhouse, surrounded by native low-water shrubs.

Other Garden Attractions: Fran Adams worked with the garden owners on replacing a front lawn with an attractive sedge meadow, mounds for native shrubs and perennials, and a fast-growing blue elderberry specimen tree. The sedge meadow requires no irrigation or mowing and other plants, including well-placed manzanita, sages, and California fuchsia are easy to maintain and provide year-round color. A specimen deer grass elegantly invites passers by to pause and take notice of this attractive front yard. A lovely row of native current, underplanted with cinquefoil, welcomes visitors from the side yard to the back. In the back, a play structure on rubberific mulch, stepping stumps, and a playhouse delight the kids. The mix of native and non-native shrubs and bunch grasses, a small lemon tree, and seasonal herbs provide an attractive green surrounding to the kid's kingdom. What child would not want to play here?

Gardening for Wildlife: The sedge meadow provides insect habitat, which in turn
attracts birds. Flowering perennials attract butterflies and hummingbirds, and the elderberry and manzanita feed birds.

Years of CA Native Gardening at this Location: 2

Garden Size: 3500 sq ft

Designer: Fran Adams, A Sense of Place
Installer: Healy Landscape Construction

Click here to download the plant list in PDF format.