This week Homestead’s lead designer, Christian Cobbs shares our Healdsburg Pollinator Meadow project!
A few years ago we were commissioned to renovate a pollinator supporting meadow garden in Healdsburg. This particular garden is sited in the heart of the Dry Creek Valley....actually situated directly ON Dry Creek itself, gently nestled between world-renowned vineyards and bucolic, oak-studded hills dotted with stands of redwood trees (ideal Northern California vernacular). As the property is a working farm, the beating heart of this nourishing venture is the honey bees and the pollination garden. The brief was to redesign a meadow centered around a huge, beautiful, rustic beehive structure and to make the meadow more sustainable, while also providing the bees with a nectar source throughout the season.
When we first arrived on site we applauded the clients initial efforts to create a pollinator meadow, but we noticed that most of the existing plant material was more acclimated to an east coast or midwestern climate, and that these plants clearly needed more input (water, fertilizer, etc) in order to thrive. Seasonal successions of blooms were also lacking, and there were not nearly enough natives present to deem the site 'ecologically sound'. The client did have some existing mature Eriogonum giganteum (aka St. Catherine's Lace) and a couple of nice Salvia apiana (aka White Sage), but the rest of the material had to go.
Triage complete, the first order for designing any meadow is to get your grass palette in check. The grass palette for this particular site included natives Muhlenbergia rigens (aka Deer Grass) and Calamagrostis foliosa (aka Mendocino Reed Grass), Muhlenbergia capillaris (aka Pink Muhly) was utilized for its exceptional late summer/fall explosion of frothy pink crystals, and Muhlenbergia dumosa (aka Bamboo Muhly) was used as an effective, wispy backdrop for tall bloomers like Verbena bonariensis and Russian Sage. Festuca mairei (aka Atlas Fescue), being midway in size between the larger Muhlenbergias and the more demure Calamagrostis, is the common thread running throughout and tying it all together. The way we design a meadow is to get all of our proportions of grasses settled and then plot it on the page. The flowers are then added afterwards for some layered color and seasonal interest.
Next up is to bring in the pollinators. The existing Eriogonum giganteum and Salvia apiana plantings were expanded to create more of a presence. Romneya coulteri (aka the Fried Egg Plant) was also added to the mix...the 'yolks' of the flowers being constantly adorned with buzzing bees. Salvia clevelandii (a treat for the bees and the hummingbirds alike) was added for a native pop of blue. Then we brought in some non-native, but drought tolerant, plants to extend the blooms further into the summer season. We added a mix of Agastache, Moonshine Yarrow, Russian Sage and Verbena bonariensis to prolong the pollinator season well into the fall. This constituted our floral palette, a symphony a color in bloom upwards of 8 months per year.
Because the estate is decidedly of a Mediterranean aesthetic, we needed some sort of transition to integrate the meadow with the rest of the garden. Also, the pollinator meadow is bounded by formal hedges of Italian Cypress, European Hornbeam and Bay Laurel, so we needed to have some reference to the existing mature trees. We collectively decided on some planting islands amongst a network of gravel walkways that consist of mostly low water and pollinator friendly Mediterranean plants that are relatively tidy compared to the looser, more natural, flowing grasses and perennials of the surrounding meadow. We feature a collection of Lavenders; 'Phenomenal', 'Hidcote' and 'Goodwin Creek' are the primary players (with a smattering of other plants forming undulating variations of purple. We also added plenty of Teucrium fruticans (Bush Germander), Santolina chamaecyparissus (Lavender Cotton), and Olea europaea 'Little Ollie' to echo the mounded, silvery forms of the lavender, while offering subtle differences in tone and texture. Teucrium chamaedrys (aka Spreading Germander), is also featured prominently as a low growing, pink-flowered, long blooming edger to the planting islands. To relate to the surroundings, we peppered in natives like Eriogonum grande rubescens (aka Red-Flowered Buckwheat) and Salvia apiana. Although technically distinct from the pollinator meadow aesthetically, it is worth noting that the vast majority of these Mediterranean plants are VERY good pollinators and will keep going into the fall if pruned after their first flush of blooms.
Travelling down the pathway we arrive at a second meadow planting that primarily consists of CA natives. This area is meant to transition into the surrounding nativescape. Grass components turn exclusively into natives featuring Muhlenbergia rigens, Calamogrostis foliosa and Festuca californica. Floral components feature native sages. The Moonshine Yarrow featured in the pollinator meadow becomes the native white flowered variety for a more natural look. As the space is still considered 'transitional', we feature outcroppings of Bush Germander and Little Ollie to add a bit of structure and serve as a reference point to the previous planting islands. For an edible nod, we peppered in some Artichokes, several varieties of figs and a bank of Feijoa to screen out the solar panels beyond. As a destination, there is a simple gravel patio with an outdoor dining table amongst the native meadow perched right above Dry Creek. The sound of the moving water coupled with the buzzing of the bees and the song of the birds is a sublime experience.
The end result is a pollinator meadow that we are proud of, the homeowners are thrilled with, and the bees are absolutley buzzing about. A good garden takes ingenuity and technical know-how to design, and a great garden takes all of that plus time. Time to grow in. Time to figure out what it wants to be. It is our job as stewards of the land to listen and to formulate that information into a rewarding experience for everyone involved. Customer satisfaction is important, but it is also imperative that a garden works for the ecosystem that uses the space as well. We are thankful for clients who understand that a garden is a living entity that can only be tamed so much and that a certain level of curation is needed to make it work over time.
Upcoming Events
We have a new Events page on Homestead’s website, which should make signing up for classes easier!
September 19th Orinda Garden Club the Dirt Daubers 9:30am St. Stephen’s Church Stefani will present her latest book, The Fragrant Flower Garden and answer questions about the local gardening climate of Lamorinda.
October 26th Morningsun Herb Farm- Vacaville, Ca. The Fall Botanical Cocktail Class 4pm Learn how to create fall inspired botanical based cocktails from the garden.
November 9th Soulfood Farms- Vacaville, Ca. The Italian Garden. We will hold our class in the middle of the olive orchards dripping with olives on the cusp of being harvested. The class will include an Italian farm lunch eaten in the orchard. The Italian landscape will be translated into the California vernacular inspiring the Italian life into a Californian slant.
November 13th A Writer’s Garden Literary Symposium - Dallas, Texas