Showcase Features: Wonderfully pruned mature plants form the structure of this elegantly layered front yard garden. A Dr Hurd Manzanita is a focal point in the garden, pruned to show its multiple trunks. Two large Yankee Point California Lilac with an attractive mounding form provide year round greenery and spring flowers for pollinators. Edible citrus trees, jujube, loquat and guava are interwoven with the native plants. Other notable plants include Bush Anemone, St.Catherine's Lace and other Buckwheat, Vine Hill and other Manzanita, Variegated Carmel Creeper and other Ceanothus, Monkeyflowers, Cedros Island Verbenas, groundcover Oregon Grape, and white California Poppies.

Other Garden Attractions: A natural Connecticut Bluestone walkway from sidewalk to front door is accented by cobbles between the stones. A woodchip swale pathway edged in natural wood minimizes rain runoff, and provides access through the garden to the side yard, past a vigorous Oregon Grape, a bed of California aster, and one of our three 620 gallon Bushman raintanks, to where an unusual Mama Bear Manzanita is thriving. The rear yard orchard is is in transition as we age and need to spend less time on ladders, with aggressive shortening of our remaining fruit trees and non-natives. While the yard is not officially on the tour, please view the finally completed Carex pansa lawn and the multi-trunked Toyon, which is transforming from a bush to the tree it wants to be. Along way are established dwarf Coyote Bush, Oregon Grape, Hummingbird Sage, pink-flowering Currant and fuchsia flowering Gooseberry, with numerous recent native plantings.

Gardening for Wildlife: The garden is designed with plants that flower through the year for maximum pollinator potential. Buckwheats in spring and summer attract insects and birds. California Lilac attracts butterflies and bees. Narrow-leaf Milkweed for Monarchs and Dateseed Plantain for Bay Checkerspot. Manzanita offers winter flowers for hummingbirds and bees. Yarrow and Coyote Mint plants are new additions to expand the pollinator offerings.

Years of CA Native Gardening at this Location: 13

Garden Size: 3,500 sq. ft

Designer: L A Peluso Designs
Installer: Solid Rock Inc did the hardscape; we did most of the softscape ourselves

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