2024 Contest Winner

Homeowner	Kathleen D. and Bill M.
Location	Oceanside
Yard	Friendship Garden

Project

Kathleen and Bill live at Oceana, an over-55 community association in Oceanside, CA. There was an old cactus garden near their clubhouse that had been neglected for many years. A few residents got together and asked the Board of Directors if they could clear out the cactus garden and install a California Native Plant Garden. It took several months to get approval and the cactus garden was cleared out Fall of 2022. Once cleared, muralist Phoebe Cornog and her family designed the panoramic mural. They donated paint and lovingly painted the wall as a backdrop for the garden. They chose a subtle landscape scene similar to what is seen looking east to the mountains for the mural. They began to raise funds for plants, top soil, rocks, & irrigation. Special thanks to resident Bill M. who designed the garden with an emphasis on a special pollinator area, a dry area for the plants that will thrive without any water and a bed for the larger shrubs that will be the backbone of the garden in the years to come. They also have an educational area with a succulent wall and habitat enclosures for monarchs that need rescuing.

They choose to plant California Native plants common to our chaparral/scrub/coastal habitat because water resources are limited and expensive. Native gardens use 1/10 the amount of water as a lawn, saving a precious resource and saving money for the association. They needed solutions for our turf thirsty landscape that would require less maintenance once installed and keep Oceana a beautiful, green, desirable place to live.

Plants Used

Large shrubs: Toyon, Lemonade Berry, Catalina Cherry, Manzanita (several varieties). Sub-Shrubs/perennials: Wooly Burl Curls, Narrow leaf milkweed, Calif. Buckwheat (3 varieties), Penstemon(s), White sage, Black sage, and several other sages. Desert Mallow, Ceanothus (a few varieties), Baja Fairy Ouster, Verbena, Blue and Yellow eyed Grasses, Coyote Mint, Sticky Monkey Flowers (several types), Calif. Yarrow, Matilija Poppy, Artemisia, Asters (several varieties), Coast Sunflowers, and many more. Latest donation: A Desert Museum Palo Verde Tree. Special thanks to Tree of Life Nursery for their wildflower blends, variety of Native Plants, and multiple on-line tutorials. Many plants were purchased through Moosa Creek Nursery.