The Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour helps San Francisco Bay Area residents save water, eliminate or reduce pesticide use, and create habitat for wildlife-one garden at a time.
I left out squash seeds on my fence for them and the scrub jay planted them all over my neighbor's yards...😅. He was quite the farmer digging holes, planting, and covering with dirt. He also loves to cache nuts I leave out all over my yard. Such great characters!
So inspiring and informative. We’re moving soon, yo a house with a blank-slate garden and I’ve gottenlots of great ideas. One of my favorite natives is the CA Buckeye. I’ve been growing ine in a pot for several years, and looking forward to seeing it in the ground. Thanks again!
i have this book. Absolute gem. It goes way more into the life around the oaks and what the oaks provide for the nature around it rather than the oaks life itself. I got it thinking it was gonna be more on the oaks, but completely happy with the surprise i got. learned a whole lot more in the field than i thought i would originally picking up the book
There are some beautiful bush Lupines nearby and wish had a good camera to catch the tiny creatures that visit . Had tried to grow some after collected a few seed pods.
Would be nice to have for So California also !! Havnt seen a toad in years ! Also to find what fireflies like (lightningbugs) which are also in California. Invasive mosquitoes are in our area, so to find safe ways to have moisture for lizards,butterflies,birds.... I see bats catching bugs at night. We have lots of birds as they visit the manynatives have. Maybe put a time list up there for the diff subjects
Do you recommend covering St Augustine grass with cardboard? It’s very thick, hard to kill and sends runners. I feel like using a sod cutter first would be wise. Then sheet mulch to be sure it’s gone. I’m also concerned about the landscaped grade being too high afterwards next to walkways.
Hi Amy - Did you watch the video? If my memory serves me, we do talk about hard-to-eradicate grasses. However, in a nutshell, dig up what you can: lay down 4 to 6 layers of thick cardboard (like bicycle boxes), especially cover the edges, so no light can get in. If you can, sheet mulch right across paths. Don't water; the cardboard is your friend. Let it it sit for at least 6 months, or even longer. Be prepared to weed around the edges. (Watch the video to see how to prepare the edges by digging a trench and lining it with cardboard.) Be prepared to pull the grass up later when you see it reappear. It is a big job to get rid of this, but with perservance you can do it.
I can’t put in to words how absolutely beautiful this is. Not only the gardens, but the collaboration and dedication. Thank you Kathy and everyone for continuing this spectacular, ever growing event. Amazing! “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.” (Margaret Mead)
Just watched Stefanie's last tour and now there's this!!! Thanks for sharing guys. Stefanie, you created such a beautiful haven for yourself and wildlife. Its truly inspiring ❤
You will find it on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour's website, under the "Doug Tallamy" section. The website is www.BringingBacktheNatives.net. www.bringingbackthenatives.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Bar-chart-Tallamy-natves-vs-nonnatives.pdf
Hearing you talk about the gopher in your yard was the most refreshing thing I've EVER heard online. Letting the critters BE and creating a safe space because they have no where else to go. Thank you 🥹🥲
HI Swathi, If you'll go to Stefanie's garden page on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour's website, you will see a link that lists the contractors Stefanie used. Here is the link to her garden page:www.bringingbackthenatives.net/stefanie-pruegel’s-garden and here is the link to the list of contractors: www.bringingbackthenatives.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Pruegel-Green-Home-Features-2023.pdf. I used EcoPerformance Builders to install our heat pump for heating and cooling the house, and we were very happy with them. Good luck with your projects!
I live on Cortes Island on the north side of Cortes Bay. Our three acre property has many beautiful manzanitas even though we are at the most northern reach of their habitat. Sadly after several years of drought, we have lost so many of them. They also suffer severe damage from the occasional heavy wet snowfall that twists their branches off. If you have any advice how I might help them, I would appreciate it. Happily there are new ones coming up where I have had a burn pile. EA
This was great, but it's sad to hear peat moss advocated to propagate trees. Peat bogs are vastly more effective for carbon capture than trees. We urgently need to leave peat alone and use alternatives
Starts out sounding like a cult. Actually on looking into this, it does seem like a cult. Its sort of a mix of pseudo-science mixed with the reward that you are saving the world. You are important. You matter. Fortunately Mr. Tallamy's brand of hope requires too much work. Nature will recover from this false profit of Ecology.
7:14 I love oaks and I love Dr. Tallamy’s work but that tree is not the Wye Oak that was in Maryland. I went to visit that tree while it was still standing. It stood all alone and did not have trees all around it like this. Also that is not white oak bark. That looks like a giant English oak in the UK instead. The Wye Oak also did not blow over in a hurricane - it was a thunderstorm on June 6, 2002 that took it down.
I'm having a blast it's about 100 decibels in my backyard. The morning sound is like a UFO landing, I can meditate to that sound but that blends into the background for the buzzsaw sounds combining with it in the afternoon They're crazy harmless little guys.
This was amazing! I am working on transforming my California yard space into native plants, and this was a great inspiration. I love the solar set up heat pump is the way to go.
Wow, this is an incredible and thorough look at how to make a property more environmentally friendly at ever level! Showed it to my partner and will certainly come back to it when we're ready to take on some of the more advanced projects!
Such a wonderful selection of plants. Many years ago we took out our swimming pool and planted a native garden-it was wonderful!. First our water bill decreased significantly!
Wow...That garden looks dreamy.....I wish I could do the same in my yard...I have a big yard for LA, 7500 sq ft but that yard he has is at least double! Amazing!
I live in Sacramento. I took out my lawn in the summer 2009 and began planting natives in the Fall. As time went by, I started adding non-native drought tolerant plants for color and to attract pollinators. After watching this video and listening to talks by Doug Talamy, I'm going to remove those non-natives and replace with natives. I am so fired up to share on Nextdoor and with the local Climate Change organization. Thanks you Kathy and Jennifer!
We have a tiny split suburban lot , but we have 10k times more lightning bugs than anyone else , because we let leaves lay fallow , and don't mow small wildflowers
Well done! Super helpful presentation. Love the variety of garden designs shown and how methodical you all were in documenting key details in the planning and making process. Excited to make my own down here in SoCal.
