Native Plants Garden Tour

Native Plant Garden Tour - May 3rd

Co-sponsored by Sea & Sage Audubon
and the Orange County California Native Plant Society

10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

This is a tour of private gardens (mostly) in which the gardeners have incorporated California native plants. These gardeners have chosen to use native plants for a variety of reasons: water conservation, providing habitat for wildlife, the sheer beauty and diversity of native plants, because they belong in our Southern California landscapes.

The tour is free and self-guided. To obtain the brochure with addresses and directions, contact for the email version, or, click here for a pdf version of the same brochure. (The webmaster will be away from her computer on Saturday, attending the garden tour, and so will be unable to email you any information at that time.) You may also obtain a print copy at Audubon House in Irvine or at the Tree of Life Nursery in San Juan Capistrano. Click here for a List of the gardens, their addresses & directions. (This sheet does not include a description of the gardens.)

You may visit the gardens in any order that is convenient. You probably will not be able to visit all of them without risking a speeding ticket. The gardens will be open from 10 AM to 4 PM. Please do not expect to visit a garden outside of those hours. Each garden is unique and offers ideas for hardscape as well as plantings, so read the descriptions carefully before choosing your route.

The gardens are clustered in South and North County. The trip between the two might be a good chance to nibble on the snacks or lunch you bring along. The one public garden on the tour, the Heritage Garden in Orange, offers restrooms and coffee. This garden is open only once a month, on the first Saturday of the month, which just happens to be our tour date this year.

Sea & Sage Audubon and OC CNPS are suggesting a donation of $10 per person to help defray the costs of the tour and to support our programs. This voluntary contribution may be left at any of the gardens. We also urge you to fill out a yellow Comment Card, available at each garden, which you may leave at the last garden you visit. Your comments and suggestions will help us plan subsequent tours.

With that said, here are the gardens…

South Orange County:	North Orange County:
The Benge Garden	The Bloom Garden
The Ratcliffe Garden	The Bowen Garden
The Camp Garden	The Heritage Garden
The Baginski Garden	The Noble Garden
	The Chester Garden
	The Leatherman Garden
	The Higgins Garden
A map showing the locations of the gardens can be found at the end of this garden list. List of the gardens, their addresses & directions.The following gardens are on the list:

South Orange County

The Benge Garden

Dry Streambed

How did I get started? That is an easy question to answer. My wife, Elana, was an employee of Tree of Life Nursery for 12 years. While good stewardship of our terrestrial home and responsible use of resources in California has always been a priority, I didn’t have a real practical application for this knowledge until eating lunch with Elana at the nursery. I really became fascinated with California natives and the relationship between the plants and the animals that depend on them for food and shelter. The fact that we live in an overly irrigated desert (thanks to “borrowed” water) spurred me to “kill my lawn” and bring natural California to my front doorstep.

As you will see, I also have a fondness for rocks. The incorporation of rocks and natives into my garden has created a very peaceful micro-habitat for lizards (western fence and alligator), hummingbirds (mostly territorial Anna’s), butterflies, bees, and the occasional finch-like birds that dart around in the manzanita. They are too fast for me to identify. The front yard is a rock garden with raised beds, a dry streambed, and a trail. Some of the roots of the sycamore hybrid have been exposed in the streambed to provide a natural erosion effect.

Various natives dot the yard in areas to either benefit from the sun or the shade. Highlights are a variety of manzanita, fuchsia, sages, succulents and colorful perennials. The side yard is a play area for my rambunctious lads so it is primarily container planted (up high on window sills) with well established Dudleya, cholla, and Pedilanthus. Next to the swing is a Ribes species on the shady side and a Mexican palo verde on the sunny side. The back yard is our retreat.

As you walk to the backyardyou are drawn in by a literal pile of rocks with some gorgeous well established Dudleyas. The perimeter is composed of manzanita and autumn sage (in raised beds to provide drainage) in varying stages of maturity. The inner garden is a cactus garden (with California, Arizona, and Baja representatives) with a fireplace and chairs.

The palapa is the sun retreat with a sole Ribes species, which appreciates the shade afforded by the bamboo screen “roof”. Our back yard reaches well in to the 90s in the summer so shade is necessary for the human residents. Well out of reach is a good-sized pencil cholla perched on the bar in a container. It is a peaceful enclave to relax, talk, and watch hummingbirds, hawks, and nervous lizards. Some of my friends and neighbors have been motivated (by the beauty and low maintenance) to move towards a more drought tolerant landscape. After a rain, passers by frequently comment on the fragrances. Enjoy!

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—Gardener, Tom Benge

Ribes (Current)

The Baginski Garden

My garden is a mini-version of the natural plant community found in southern California. Multiple plant species and mini-habitats were designed to maximize diversity. The different plant communities created attract multiple insect and bird species increasing the overall wildlife value of the garden. The front yard incorporates riparian, oak woodland/grassland and coastal sage while the backyard transitions to chaparral, coastal sage and desert. No pesticides are used in the yard allowing for natural control.

The Baginski backyard

The planting materials have come from local native plant nurseries or have been grown by myself from cutting or seeds. The rocks in the yard come from a local source and replace the standard brick or stucco planter boxes. The oak trees are also local and add an interesting appearance and great wildlife value. My belief in landscaping is to help heal the damage that was created during the construction of our homes and return the land to a more natural form and function. Our yard has native frogs, salamanders, many species of insects and of course avian and reptilian visitors. This makes working, playing or just sitting in the yard a unique and enjoyable experience.

—Gardener, Dr. Leon Baginski

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The Camp Garden

After my daughter quit playing soccer, we suddenly had more time on the weekends, and after my husband finished hardscape work, I started my native garden in the backyard in 2000. We planted 5 trees/large shrubs – Chilopsis linearis, Parkinsonia aculeata, Heteromeles arbutifolia, Cercocarpus minutiflorus and Ceanothus arboreus, along with shrubs & perennials along the edges. We planned and seeded a small lawn area, but as that bright green baby grass was coming up we decided that it just didn’t fit, and mowing that little patch would not be fun. We killed the lawn & planted some more natives instead.

I have the advantage of working at Tree of Life Nursery, so over the years whenever something pretty, new or unusual came into bloom I had to have it. Over time some plants have thrived and some have had to be replaced. In 2006, we did a major remodel to our house including adding a second story, so the north-facing backyard garden now has more shade from the taller house, and also from the trees that have matured. The plants are adjusting and always being adjusted!

After the house remodel, I planted a front yard garden in January of 2007. This time I wanted to have a theme instead of just planting pretty stuff, and after much contemplation, and because I wanted to learn more about them, I decided to concentrate on Baja California natives for the south-facing garden. The Baja garden is now in its second spring, and although the larger shrubs and trees are still young, the perennials, grasses & small shrubs are eye-catching.

I get many compliments from neighbors, and also much disbelief that I hardly need to water. Solanum hindsianum, Verbena lilacina and Viguiera laciniata seem to be in perpetual bloom, and the Baja garden also features wildflowers, Hyptis emoryi, Salvia clevelandii (Baja form), 4 Dudleya species, 2 Lycium species, Lepechinia ganderi, Euphorbia misera and Nassella pulchra.

My next-door neighbor also has many California natives planted in her front yard, so when you visit make sure to take a peak.

In my work and in my garden, I find that the fascination of growing native plants is all-consuming and that there is so much to learn. I hope my small tract-home garden will inspire you to plant for habitat, for drought-tolerance, sustainability and unsurpassed beauty.

—Gardener, Laura Camp

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The Ratcliffe Garden

Our garden began in 1999, on moving day, when I broke into the storage crates, grabbed pruners and removed a variegated Ficus from under the back window. Over the years I have removed most of the lawn and traditional shrubs and replaced them with California natives.

My academic training is in plant systematics, so I have tried to plant as many different plant families as possible, inspired by the example of Bob Thorne's garden in Claremont. The total is about 150 families, with as many as feasible being California examples. A fledgling Channel Islands section was added this year. Plantings include exotics (25%) as well as natives (75%), wildlife habitat and flowers for cutting. Two years ago I removed the front lawn, but we have kept a small lawn in the back to accommodate the two dogs and one toddler in our household. We have seen the gradual arrival of wildlife, including lizards, birds and butterflies, but most notably a feral chicken that arrived more than two years ago and seems to appreciate the naturalistic landscape and non-toxic environment she has found.

The Ratcliff front yard

—Gardiner, Gene Ratcliffe

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North Orange County

The Bloom Garden

Our front yard garden is composed predominantly of southern California and Baja California natives with a few exotics thrown in for highlights. Included are Palo Verde, Palo Blanco, Fairy Dusters, several species of Dudleya, White, Black, Purple and Cleveland Sage, Parry's and Shaw's Agaves, Toyon, California and Baja Poppies, Wishbone Bush, Brittle Bush, Penstemon spectabilis and others, California Buckwheat, Coastal Cholla, and Ceanothus. The garden was started about 10 years ago but significantly expanded about 4 years back and now has a decomposed granite base.

—Gardiners, Rebecca and Pete Bloom

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The Bowen Garden

At first glance, this appears to be a standard landscape, but surprises abound. California natives have been incorporated into the mature existing landscaping to create a variety of habitats: a native woodland grouping under liquidamber, shade-loving natives under pittosporum, wildflowers alongside vegetables. This is a large yard with interesting opportunities to diversify; the present gardener is taking full advantage. Over 60 species of native plants plus many annuals live happily with fruit trees and some favorite non-natives.

—Gardiner, Connie Bowen

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The Heritage Garden

The Southern California Heritage Garden, located on the campus of El Modena High School in Orange, spotlights the use of California native plants in a garden setting. It has functioned as a teaching site for over 30 years, thus has many mature specimen plants. Situated on 3⁄4 acre, it has a pond and a 200-foot stream. High school students conduct regular instructional tours for elementary students, but the garden is only open to the public on the first Saturday of the month. Coffee and restrooms available.

—Jeanne Carter, Garden Director

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The Noble Garden

Five years in, this large garden is still a work in progress, with some areas well established and others newly planted. The main challenges of the site are steep slopes and fine sandy soil. However, our aim was not just to replace the original ice plant with a few slope-stabilizing natives, but to present a great variety of native plants in as natural a setting as possible.

So, in addition to traditional ground cover (Coyote Bush), we planted some clusters of large shrubs for cover and some patches of low-growing mixed vegetation, similar to what is found on natural slopes. The mixed patches have combinations of grasses, shrubs and sub-shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and, snails willing! wildflowers. These mixed areas have been the most difficult to establish, our original plans undergoing many changes as we tested for species that could thrive under the difficult conditions.

Adding rocks to hold the slopes and paths in place has been an essential part of this effort. We also have a riparian area in progress, consisting of sycamores and a dry, rocky streambed garnished with Heuchera, Meadow Rue, Sedges, and more.

—Gardiners, Eric and Sherry Noble

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The Chester Garden

Ginny’s garden didn’t start out as a regular “plan” on graph paper with areas designed for specific uses. It just, sort-of evolved over the years, as the family grew up and eventually left home. The house was built in 1971 and the yard, larger than the average city lot, accommodated many interests and activities: vegetable garden, a flock of chickens, pet raccoon, camper, trailer, boat and various cars. But now, all of that is gone and Ginny devotes her energies to native plants, birds, butterflies and lizards.

	In 35 years the original trees have grown into towering giants that shade the house and support a variety of birds. The plants are mostly native along with some exotics for color and basic low maintenance. Pathways are lined with rocks collected on vacation trips, and many plants are actually volunteers that were deposited by birds and the Santa Ana winds. “Gardeners” have never been allowed in the yard and except for major tree trimming, all work has been done by Ginny and her family. Welcome to the Chester place—we hope you’ll enjoy strolling through this patch of nature in the city.
—Gardiner, Ginny Chester
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The Leatherman Garden

When we moved in 1994 we dubbed it simply “the hill.” Over 3,600 square feet of hillside at a 2:1 slope covered with ice plant and scattered jade plants. As a budding botanist (pardon the pun) and wildlife biologist early in our careers, we thought it was about the ugliest landscape imaginable. But it was the potential of the hill that inspired us, and over the last 14 years we have planted a host of native species, creating not only a native plant garden, but habitat for a variety of wildlife as well.

For the first several years we did not water, and only the most drought tolerant species survived, including most of the shrubs you might find on a walk in the local hills. Eventually we installed overhead irrigation, allowing us to plant a much wider diversity of more far-reaching California and Baja endemic plants with varied flowering periods that keep the hill colorful for most of the spring and summer. We recently installed a modern micro-irrigation system that saves water by allowing us to water every plant individually (until they become established and no longer need water).


The Leatherman's slope - (before landscaping)	The Leatherman's slope - (after landscaping)

In 2007, we re-landscaped the lower part of the yard and installed a retaining wall to control erosion. We used stackable, tumbled concrete blocks to give the feel of an old English wall, over which a small cascading waterfall plunges into a pool in our formal garden, consisting of a mix of native and ornamental plants. Stairs out of the same concrete block provide access to the entire garden. A twenty-five foot tall western sycamore tree near the base the hill provides a cool resting place in the summer months.

Our ultimate goal is not just to grow native plants. We have endeavored to create a self-sustaining natural habitat for native plants and wildlife. We now have over 75 species of native plants and varieties (including over 10 sages), and have documented 3 amphibians, 3 reptiles, 84 birds (including 8 confirmed nesting species plus 4 possibles), and 4 mammals in our backyard habitat. Seven hummingbird feeders and a variety of seed and peanut feeders keep the birds active throughout the year.

—Gardiners, Brian and Sandy Leatherman

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The Higgins Garden

Lot Size: 1/3 acre (house & garage 3,000 sq feet). In 3 sections: lower flat, hillside, top flat!
After expending money, water and effort to install and maintain a thirsty lawn for years, the Higgins duo opted to let the lawn die and consider a native and drought tolerant planting project. The fabulous Audubon Native Plant Workshop conducted by Pat Overby and Diane Bonanno cinched the decision. The garden exemplifies a new work-in-progress, having just started in early 2007. Flagstone paths lead visitors through the various sections of the lower area of the yard. The entrance way was planted with California meadow seed, woolly thyme, dymondia, poppies, yarrows, and heucheras. A 22 foot waterfall provides the focal point in the 45° hillside. Most of the lower flat level and about a third of the steep hillside has been prepared and planted with various salvias, ceanothus, manzanitas, grasses and various other native & some non-native drought tolerant plants. The hillside also features a very young redbud and a tecate cypress tree. Mike Higgins did all of the preparation and planting—with a little help from Helen. This garden provides a good opportunity to see a garden in transition from traditional water loving to water conserving vegetation.

—Gardiners, Mike and Helen Higgins

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Garden Tour Map

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