Bring Back the Natives Garden Tour, 2011

I don't know if I didn't go to the right gardens but the tour seemed pretty ho-hum to me this year. Seemed like anybody with an average garden with a few CA natives stuck in could be included in the tour. Or maybe it is the nature of CA natives themselves...not a lot of drama. But that's not true, I've been to some really dramatic native gardens. Anyway, I've included the two best gardens I visited.

The first is the Norman garden in Berkeley. I'd say the most interesting features in this garden were not the native plants but the recycled materials and water catchment system incorporated into the architecture.

I love the materials used to create the treehouse, as well as the window arbor and rain chain.

The materials used in the chicken coop were pretty great too.

Lots of great-looking reused items and water storage elements defined this garden.

The last garden I visited, the Campbell Garden, was a nice mix of California natives with a dash of Asian spice, for a quintessential Bay Area garden.