Sunday, May 15, 2011

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.

treehousewindow arbor

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

chicken coop

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

bicycle gaterain pailrain collectionrain barrel

rain catchment storage

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.

japanese-california garden

gate with bell collectionfront doorhillside pathsuch a berkeley iris

shady slopeferny bedcottageback of house



No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.