A year ago, Menlo Park resident Vicki O’Day and native plant professional Peigi Duvall tore out everything in O’Day’s backyard, with one purpose in mind: reintroducing California native species to the space — perhaps for the first time since the property was developed.
An outdoor enthusiast who enjoys hiking in Woodside’s Wunderlich and other local parks, O’Day said her gardening goal was to bring the aesthetic of the foothills home.
Moreover, she remembered a tour she went on a few years prior: the Going Native Garden Tour. “I got inspired,” she said of her experience touring native gardens.
This year, instead of attending the tour, O’Day will host visitors in her own backyard garden, selected as one of 45 gardening sites for the sixth annual Going Native Garden Tour on April 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
All of the tour’s featured gardens exemplify environmentally sensitive design and gardening practices. Native plants constitute half or more of each garden’s plantings. The gardens also “illustrate that healthy, attractive gardens can flourish without the use of chemicals,” according to the Going Native Garden Tour Web site.
The gardens on the tour, many of which are located at private residences, will be open to the public on tour day in an open-house format. The gardens represent the wide range of settings found in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties — from more densely developed neighborhoods to multi-acre lots, to everything in between.
“What brings us together is we’re all interested in attractive gardens, in good property values, in doing the right thing for the environment, saving money, saving water, saving energy, not using chemicals and toxins in our gardens, and creating habitat for birds and butterflies and bees in our gardens. We want to show people examples of gardens like this,” tour organizer Arvind Kumar said.
On this year’s tour, six gardens are in Palo Alto. There are an additional two in Portola Valley, one in Woodside, two in Menlo Park, and four in Mountain View. Other gardens are located in Redwood City, Belmont, San Carlos, Los Gatos, Sunnyvale, Alviso, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, Campbell, Gilroy and San Jose.
The selected gardens not only feature native plants but also avoid invasive species. “We don’t want to hold up a garden as an example that has invasive plants,” Kumar said, mentioning two species — the ornamental “pampas grass” with its eye-catching white blooms and the diminutive periwinkle, “a very pretty plant with purple flowers” as popular invasive species that threaten the local ecology.
The commitment to avoid introduced and invasive species resonates with gardeners like O’Day, who describes her new, native garden as “much more satisfying because of the wildlife value” than anything she ever planted before.
“Before, I had a birdfeeder by the window to entertain my indoor cats. Now, the whole yard is like a birdfeeder. The birds love the seeds from the grasses,” she said.
In addition to sustaining native plants and wildlife, the native gardens conserve water and include only a limited lawn, if any lawn at all <0x2014>a requirement that Palo Alto’s “Nix-the-Turfgrass Garden” epitomizes.
Only a year ago, Nix-the-Turfgrass’s owner, Pamela Chesavage, had a front lawn full of grass. “Nobody used it,” she said, adding that it soaked up “a ton of water.”
Now, instead of struggling to maintain the little-used and water-addicted grass patch, Chesavage enjoys strolling on a sunny stone path through her home’s front plots — a paradise of California natives such as fragrant coyote mint, Verbena lilacina, pink currants and more.
“A lot of people install plants that look good. We installed plants that look good and are low-water,” Chesavage said.
Perhaps her garden’s best asset in addition to attracting fluttering butterflies, birds and insects is the fact that the garden’s installation costs were virtually covered.
“The Santa Clara Valley Water Rebate program paid for all our plants, the redwood mulch, the permeable hardscape. …We got upwards of $500 for the front lawn,” she said, referring to the Water Efficient Landscape Rebate Program offered by the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which compensates homeowners for each square foot of replaced grass.
Like other gardener hosts, Chesavage will be at her home garden to talk with visitors about setting up a native garden. During the tour, additional volunteers will also act as docents to answer questions.
Visitors create their own itineraries for tour day, fitting in several gardens or just one or two. Photos, descriptions and even plant lists of each garden are available at GoingNativeGardenTour.org. Click “2008 Tour Gardens” in the left column and click on each garden’s name to preview the different garden sites’ photos, descriptions and plant lists.
Registration on the Web site is free <0x2014> but mandatory — for admission to the gardens on tour day. Only registered guests will receive notification of garden addresses and find out which garden sites will offer native plant sales during the tour.
On tour day, street parking will be limited. Tour organizers recommend visitors carpool if possible and be prepared to walk short distances to each garden.
Some gardens may be more accessible to persons with disabilities than other gardens. Organizer Kumar encourages interested parties to register for the tour and then communicate with the individual garden owners via e-mail regarding the garden’s ease of access.
In addition to the Going Native Garden Tour, the California Native Plant Society is hosting a native plant sale on April 12 at Hidden Villa Ranch in Los Altos Hills.
What: Going Native Garden Tour
When: Sunday, April 20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, including: Alviso, Belmont, Campbell, Gilroy, Los Gatos, Menlo Park, Monte Sereno, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Portola Valley, Redwood City San Carlos, San Jose, Saratoga, Sunnyvale and Woodside.
Cost: Free, but registration required at www.GoingNativeGardenTour.org before April 19, noon, or until tour reaches capacity; space is limited
Info: www.GoingNativeGardenTour.org
What: California Native Plant Society’s Spring Native Plant Sale
When: Saturday, April 12, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Hidden Villa Ranch, California Native Plant Society Nursery, 26870 Moody Road, Los Altos Hills
Cost: Free entrance and parking. Purchases by cash or check only. Bring boxes to carry purchases home. Proceeds fund California Native Plant Society’s chapter activities as well as the Trust for Hidden Villa.
Info: www.cnps-scv.org, e-mail cnps_scv@yahoo.com, or call 650-941-1068.
Editorial intern Veronica Sudekum can be e-mailed at vsudekum@paweekly.com.
Editorial intern Veronica Sudekum can be e-mailed at vsudekum@paweekly.com.
Editorial intern Veronica Sudekum can be e-mailed at vsudekum@paweekly.com.