Virtual Tour Menu View Photos View Movie: Natives in the Wildland-Urban Interface View Movie: Wildlife and Pollinators Among Natives View Movie: Native Bouquets and Wreaths
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This is a wildland urban interface garden set in the oak woodlands and chaparral community of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Many locally-native trees and shrubs such as black oaks, madrones, live oaks, Douglas firs, manzanitas, coyotebrush, oceanspray, chamise and buckbrush grow naturally on the property at an elevation of 2700' above sea level which enjoys all four seasons of weather. The current homeowners inherited a small native garden and over time as they learned how much native plants in general and oak trees in particular benefit the habitat, they expanded the gardens and removed all remaining non-native shrubs, vines and trees. Only a few non-native bulbs remain in several spots on the one-acre lot.

Expanding the native gardens over the past decade was challenging due to a number of factors such as the extreme slope in parts of the yard; hard sandstone "soil" with no organic matter; and wildlife -- gophers that eat roots, deer that browse foliage, and quail who love to eat wildflower seed before it germinates. In just over a decade, the increased dynamics of climate change have impacted this garden with drought most years and deluges other years, Diablo winds blowing harder and longer at higher elevations; drier, hotter, longer summers; and the increased expense of residential water in rural communities. Persistence, hand watering and patience has resulted in a yard comprised of 95% native plants.

Other Garden Attractions: Three small but deep bird baths with solar fountains attract thirsty birds, animals, and insects. In this yard, most areas remain wild with trees and shrubs growing naturally alongside several cultivated areas. There are separate gardens for shade-loving plants that thrive under oaks, plants that thrive on sunbaked ridgetops, and plants that thrive if planted in richer soil and receive water regularly during the summer. Some native shrubs and trees, like chamise and Cleveland sage pods, look especially pretty when blanketed in snow while others such as lupines and bush anemone blossoms look bejeweled with raindrops. The western redbud has doubled in size in the past few years and is spectacular in every season. The black oak leaves are multi-colored depending on the time of year -- pink in spring when they're just leafing out, green in summer, and gold in autumn.

Gardening for Wildlife: A lot of wildlife has been observed over the years: bumblebees, leafcutter bees, butterflies and moths, deer and fawns, quail, wild turkeys, great horned owls, skunks, rattlesnakes, crickets, foxes, coyotes, gophers, rabbits, and one lone mountain lion taking a stroll in broad daylight.

Years of CA Native Gardening at this Location: 31

Garden Size: 1 acre

Designer: Homeowner
Installer: Homeowner

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