Annual Native Garden Tour
California In My Garden
– 2026 GARDEN PREVIEWS –
Hurley Garden
This thoughtfully designed front-yard garden was created by homeowner Regina Hurley as a hands-on exploration of California native plants and their role in sustaining life. Finalized in 2023 and installed by Land Disview Landscape, the once-traditional yard has been transformed into a living landscape rooted in habitat and beauty.
A decomposed granite path winds gently through the space, guiding visitors past layers of native plantings that support birds, pollinators, and beneficial insects. Seating areas invite pause and reflection, while a small bridge spans a deep swale — an artistic and functional feature filled with aqua glass that softly glows at night. A fountain adds movement and sound, drawing wildlife into the garden’s rhythm.
Thoughtful lighting extends the experience beyond sunset, revealing a landscape that feels immersive, welcoming, and alive. It is intentional, collaborative, ecological — and above all, inspiring.
Dooley Garden
After decades of hiking California’s diverse wild landscapes, the homeowner discovered a deep appreciation for growing native plants in 2016. What began as curiosity became an eight-year journey of trial, error, and persistence, learning through experience and loss before seeking professional guidance. With support and mentorship from Meadow Crosby of Trestles Native Plants, the garden found new direction, enriched by thoughtful design, expanded plant knowledge, and refined irrigation practices.
Surrounding the family’s San Clemente home on all four sides, the garden now features more than 100 species, including lesser-seen natives such as apache plume, Shaw’s agave, hedge nettle, laurel sumac, and San Diego marsh elder. A swale winds down the front slope, natural stone anchors the landscape, and small artworks honoring local wildlife; coyotes, roadrunners, a great-horned owl, and even neighborhood cats, celebrate the spirit of place.
Layered, evolving, and deeply personal, the garden has become both a living classroom and a source of daily joy.
Conlon/Shaw Garden
Installed in 2010 from a design by Back to Natives, this garden replaced a traditional lawn with a landscape rooted in function and sustainability. The homeowners reshaped the flat site, corrected decades of poor drainage, and directed roof runoff into a front-yard pond and water tanks that now manage flooding while supporting mature trees.
Primarily planted with Orange County natives, the garden emphasizes resilience and minimal maintenance. Permeable driveway materials, shade-providing vines, and a thoughtfully placed oak further improve climate comfort and water flow. As the trees mature and shade increases, the landscape continues to evolve — practical, adaptive, and quietly beautiful.
Gump Garden
Begun from scratch in 2019 and brought to life in spring 2021, this garden transformed a former pool site into a vibrant, low-water landscape rooted in native plants and edibles. The front yard started as a desertscape anchored by a Desert Museum palo verde, now layered with dudleya, mallows, agaves, woolly curls, yarrow, manzanita, ceanothus, and a beloved Channel Island bush poppy that blooms nearly year-round and hums with bees.
In the backyard, native grapevines provide summer shade and fall harvests, while a small UC Verde buffalo grass lawn offers a soft, drought-tolerant gathering space. Bee’s Bliss sage, red buckwheat, and yarrow mingle with roses and fruit trees, blending beauty and abundance.
Designed by Kristy after studying landscape design at OCC, and installed with the help of friends, the garden has become both habitat and inspiration, a living tapestry that led to the founding of Wild Joy Gardens, where art, ecology, and everyday life intertwine.
Timothy Garden
If you are seeking a sanctuary in the city, rest beneath the canopy of 20-year-old coast live oaks and wander through a landscape rooted entirely in California natives. A redesigned meadow, flowing waterfall, and winding stream draw birds and dragonflies, while layered garden rooms offer inspiration for starting a native garden of your own.
Inspired by Early California traditions — blending Indigenous foundations, Mexican heritage, and agricultural history — the property also includes a quiet Zen-influenced side garden anchored by a Torrey pine. Gifted and memorial plants mingle with repurposed hardscape materials, reflecting creativity and care.
Homeowners Brian and Marisa began nearly three decades ago with a modest fixer-upper and built the gardens themselves over time. Today, the space feels welcoming and alive — a place to slow down, listen for the evening owl, and reconnect with the rhythms of nature.
Brooks Garden
Often described as a “magical fairyland in a California neighborhood,” this native garden offers a quiet retreat within the rhythm of a busy street. Fragrant sages, a coast live oak, and a winding dry creek create a tapestry of texture and movement, where grasses rustle and bees hum in steady harmony. A small bridge and meandering path invite visitors to wander, pause, and rediscover a touch of California’s original beauty — with the occasional fairy tucked among the foliage.
Designed and installed in 2025 by Urban Ecology Studio, the garden centers on a thoughtfully crafted dry creek that improves soil and celebrates water conservation. What was once a simple lawn is now vibrant habitat for birds and pollinators — a small but meaningful return of suburban land to nature.
Camp Garden
Over nearly 40 years, this garden has transformed from traditional lawns and non-native plantings into a thriving native plant sanctuary with over 50 species. The design blends naturalistic plantings with structured elements such as stone walls, large boulders, and flagstone pathways. Mature trees and shrubs, including Refugio and McMinn Manzanitas and a 20+ foot Mountain Mahogany, provide shade, structure, and character throughout the yard.
Recent renovations highlight plants from Caspers Wilderness Park and the Santa Ana Mountains, while raised vegetable beds, a small fountain, and a mosaic-decorated firepit create inviting spaces for outdoor relaxation and wildlife observation. Microclimates in the sun-filled front yard and shaded back yard have allowed experimentation, resulting in a dynamic, layered garden full of life and seasonal surprises.
Lombardo Garden
Over the past seven years, this garden has been gradually transformed into a sanctuary of native plants, inspired by the mountains and canyons of the surrounding area. It features laurel sumac, coyote bush, toyon, buckwheat, coffeeberry, multiple sages, monkey flowers, various Dudleyas, and a coastal live oak grown from an acorn.
The design balances native species with cherished non-natives, including raised beds for vegetables and vibrant dye flowers such as coreopsis, cosmos, and weld. The garden thrives in a variety of microclimates, providing a welcoming habitat for birds, butterflies, and other wildlife, bringing a touch of the wilderness to an urban setting.
Black Garden
What was once a high-maintenance pool has been transformed into a vibrant California native garden designed for water conservation, wildlife attraction, and quiet reflection. Inspired by the pristine habitats surrounding their work as biologists, the owners imagined a space that would bring birds, butterflies, and other wildlife into the garden while providing a serene, drought-conscious retreat.
Planting began in January 2023 with species sourced from California Botanic Garden, Tree of Life, and Theodore Payne Nursery. Overplanting, losses, and ongoing trial-and-error have shaped a resilient garden that thrives despite challenging conditions, including compacted soils from the former pool, deep shade, and persistent voles. Today, the garden combines diverse native plants, permeable surfaces, rain collection, and layered habitats, creating a sustainable and joyful sanctuary for wildlife and people alike.
Whalen Garden
Installed in 2018, this garden stretches from parkway to backyard and has grown into a dynamic landscape with over 70 California native species. What began as an exploration of native plants has evolved into an ongoing practice of observing and responding to the land.
The front yard reflects desert-adjacent communities, with a dry creek weaving through ocotillo, palo verde, prickly pear, and grasses, alongside chalk dudleya, verbena, apricot mallow, and white sage. The courtyard offers a more structured space with planters and a mix of natives including coyote brush, Oregon grape, and California fuchsia.
In the backyard, decomposed granite paths wind through layered plantings that support birds, pollinators, and wildlife, creating a rich habitat garden. A newer section features Channel Islands species, further connecting the garden to California’s diverse regional ecologies.
Guided by microclimates, soil, and water flow, the garden continues to evolve, shaped by seasonal change and a deepening relationship with place.
Bernardi Garden
n 2020, the west-facing front lawn of this home was struggling, with patchy grass despite regular watering. Facing the cost and effort of maintaining it, the homeowner turned to a local water district program that supported replacing lawn with California native plants, an approach better suited to the region’s climate.
By 2026, the garden has become largely self-sustaining, with thriving plantings requiring minimal input. Hummingbirds now nest and feed among the flowers, edible herbs and wild strawberries provide seasonal harvest, and an owl has taken up residence in a nearby tree.
What began as a practical shift has grown into a resilient, living landscape, supporting both wildlife and a more easeful way of tending the garden.
