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Showcase Features: This professionally designed garden was installed in 3 different stages, during 2021 through 2025. In the first stage, the large lawn, covering most of the front yard, was replaced with low-water natives, using the Valley Water's Landscape Rebate Program. The small garden bed, next to the driveway was also included. In the 2nd stage, in 2024, the remaining front yard was converted, along with all the garden beds in the back yard. Lastly, in winter, 2025, a Bubba desert willow replaced an old and withering Japanese maple, next to the driveway.

The large lawn area in the front yard was divided into 3 smaller garden beds by a gold fines path. Under the shaded canopy of the dominant, non-native camphor tree, shade-loving natives were introduced, including hummingbird sage, Island Alum root, Canyon Snow iris, yerba buena, evergreen currant, and Oregon grape. Near the sidewalk, in the sunny areas, a Joyce Coulter Ceanothus and a Louis Edmunds manzanita are the focal points, and are accompanied by deer grass, blue grama, coyote mint, CA and sulphur buckwheat, San Gabriel penstemon, wooly sunflower, and golden aster. A western redbud punctuates the center bed, that is surrounded by Bee's Bliss Sages, a Pigeon Point coyote brush, and swaths of CA fuchsia, yarrow, and Carmel Sur manzanita. 3 San Bruno Mountain coffeeberry and a Cleveland sage are the foundation shrubs along the front house wall. This bed is edged with coyote mint and golden yarrow. Evergreen currant climbs the privacy fence that edges the front porch, while evergreen huckleberry and western sword ferns fill the part-shady spots. The center of the garage bed is a mound with a Dr. Hurd manzanita, surrounded by Valley Violet Ceanothus, foothill penstemon, June grass, San Miguel Island buckwheat, narrow leaf milkweed, monkeyflower, and desert globemallow. Spring accents include CA poppy, blue-eyed grass, Ruby-chalice Clarkia, and blue dicks bulbs. The right side of the driveway is punctuated by a Bubba dessert willow, that is underplanted by bee plant, dune sedge, Douglas iris, CA goldenrod, and CA aster. The custom-made, split-rail fence along the right property line is also part of the improvements.

Other Garden Attractions: There is a diverse, mixed hedgerow of shrubs, perennials, and annuals, in the raised bed that runs along the entire back yard. Mingling here are: coast silktassel, purple nightshade, pink flowering currant, canyon gooseberry, hollyleaf cherry, CA buckeye, CA sagebrush, island pitcher sage, Frosty Blue Ceanothus, toyon, and Island bush poppy. CA aster, fuchsia, monkeyflower, CA fescue, CA buttercup, foothill sedge, poppies, blue-eyed grass, and Chinese Houses fill the spaces between the shrubs. The garden beds along the back walls of the house were designed to host larval and adult-stage butterflies. Narrow-leaf milkweed, coyote mint, CA phacelia and buckwheat, Island bush poppy, spiney redberry, Oregon grape, and sticky monkeyflower were planted.

Gardening for Wildlife: The garden was designed with habitat in mind. The diverse plant palette includes many local natives (CA bay laurel, CA buckeye, blue elderberry, hollyleaf cherry, toyon, coast silk tassel, CA sagebrush, canyon gooseberry, common snowberry, ninebark, spiney redberry, CA fescue, CA fuchsia, sticky monkeyflower, foothill sedge, yerba buena, CA buttercup, blue-eyed grass, poppies, etc.), provides food, shelter, nesting places, and attracts many species of birds, hummingbirds, pollinators, including bees and other insects, and lizards. The homeowner is especially interested in Monarch butterflies; she finds many caterpillars on her native milkweed, brings them indoors to raise, and then releases them back into her garden.

Years of CA Native Gardening at this Location: 4

Garden Size: 4,773 sq. ft.

Designer: Agi Kehoe Landscaping
Installer: Phase 1: Core Landscaping, Phase 2 & 3: BA EarthCare Landscaping, Inc., Agi Kehoe Landscaping, and the homeowner

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