Garden Tour 2017

Our 2017 tour featured water thrifty gardens, colorful native and mediterranean plants, a greenhouse growing tomatoes, a bocce ball court, DIY aquaculture, cozy gathering spaces, rainwater capture systems, unusual succulents, and the Los Arboles school garden.

Perry and Azherderian Garden

Garden Hosts Billy Perry and Cecelia Azhderian

This used to be a weedy empty corner lot

Low care color

All of the new gates were built by Billy

Another great plant contrast

Larger low water shrubs include Purple Hopseed, California Flannel Bush, Catalina Ironwood and Pride of Madeira

Agave with white margins perfect contrast to soft grasses and red sweet peas

Eye popping color transform corner lot

Agave, rosemary, calandrinia, poppies and red sweet peas

New industrial style gates define garden

Happy nasturtiums clamber up front steps

Stratton Garden

Karin and Scott Stratton’s all California native front garden

Karin and Scott Stratton day of tour

Sweet scooter

Native grasses, salvias and Artemesia

Beach Strawberry, Sulphur Buckwheat and Beachside Daisy in a happy tangle

Beachside daisy spilling onto the driveway

Sticky Monkey shines in the foreground. The dry riverbed directs rain water into the garden.

Inspecting the worm bin up close

Working worm bin and straw bale on display

Paul Lord from Marina Coast Water District promoting water-wise gardening and lawn removal rebate programs

This was one of the garden tour hotspots

Lots of table information for visitors

Succulent feature

Karin gives an after tour gopher trapping demo

Wasson Garden

Stephen’s garden during the tour – all California natives

Stephen describes the work in his garden

Garden of Stephen Wasson

Calceolaria ‘Kentish Hero’

Another honeysuckle on a trellis built by Stephen

Exuberant Kangaroo Paws create color mass

Dymondria fills in between flagstones

Closeup of honeysuckle growing up the dead limbs

Dead ceanothus becomes an architectural element in the back garden

Maybe this was the plant Richard trying to ID?

This bed is colorful even in the dry season

More interesting succulents

Really fun succulent bed

Richard names that plant for visitors

Welcoming front porch

Our Water Our World tables information on Integrated Pest Management

Silva Garden

Joey and Danielle take a breather with one of the pooches

Garden of Joey and Danielle Silva

Red pop from painted daggerboards

Neighborhood lending library built by Joey

Barbecue area with living succulent wall

Close up of succulent wall built by Joey

Close up of Bocce Ball court

The Bocce Ball court was a must in the redesign

Nice spot to rest in the central back yard

Joey chats with visitors

Backyard is organized with strong architectural lines

Joey gave away native plants his students grew from seeds

Amazing Protea has long lasting blooms

Potted figs help hide water collection tank

This is a very low care yard that is shared with several small dogs

Fisler Garden

Welcome sign at Mark and Paula Fisler’s Garden

Paula shares a moment with one of the tour visitors

Paula built this path from recycled bricks

Tag identifying the bee friendly plants in the garden

Straw bale gardening

Experimental green house built by Mark

Temperature was at 100 degrees

Discussions on tomatoes in Marina

Greenhouse works great for tomatoes!

Raised beds with gopher wire

Backyard firepit seating area

Blue Nigella

More of the outdoor barbecue area

More whimsey

Bread and Butter poppies

Paths wend about the plant laden yard

A happy riot of color

Amadeo Garden

The garden of Nancy and Dan Amadeo

Nancy describes the gardens transformation from a boring lawn

Firepit is central to the outdoor space

Dan answers questions about the garden

Small touches of color with succulents

Jungle path to the backyard

Small spaces can be colorful

River cobbles add texture and neutral tone

Dry river bed actually functions to direct excess rain water away from driveway and garage

Hillcrest Garden

Juli Hofmann and Pat Gray greet visitors at the Hillcrest Garden

Grace Silva-Santella tells the story of the garden

The Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District provided the grant to build this garden

Memorial bench funded by community members

Memorial oak tree for past city council member Ken Gray is central to the garden

Pat Gray and family at the dedication ceremony in April of 2017

Los Arboles Garden

Anna Munoz and Janna Ratzlaff

Signage at Los Arboles Middle School

…and signs by students

Visitors ponder fish and vegetables in the closed loop system

Aquaponic display by BothCo.org

Closeup of Aquaponic growing bed

Underwater scene on back wall

Student painted signs

View of classroom storage shed

Inside the greenhouse

Rainwater catchment from the classroom roof

Raised beds for edibles

Teacher Anna Munoz talks about her garden program

Calandrinia and slope retaining tires

Lots of color from the strong spring rains in 2017