I am back in the East Bay area–this time to enjoy the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days event showcasing five private gardens. If you haven’t been to http://www.gardenconservancy.org yet to learn about this organization’s garden preservation mission and Open Days events all over the US, take time to let the staff and volunteers of this great garden education non-profit introduce themselves to you after you finish this post.

MARY-ELLIS’S GARDEN IN BERKELEY

Homeowner Mary-Ellis worked with local garden designer Keeyla Meadows to create a “fun and whimsical garden that is water wise, deer resistant and colorful.” Those of you who have read my post Digging Deeper with Keeyla Meadows at Urban Adamah… have already met Keeyla and if you read the entire upcoming series of posts on the East Bay gardens you will get to visit her amazing garden which is packed full of bold saturated color and her personal metal and ceramic art.

The front garden of this pale pumpkin hued stucco cottage is truly the size of a postage stamp–but it is definitely a one of a kind commemorative stamp rather than your basic first class flag. The lot is probably about 5000 square feet and this front garden no more than 10 feet deep. Even at that diminutive size it packs a punch with an Alice in Wonderland pathway and a variety of foliage texture and color.

Planting islands outlined by boulders of varied sizes and shapes are home to small scale shrubs, perennials and reseeding annuals.

There were only a few blooms on this Leucospermum (maybe ‘Sunrise’?) but I loved the way the lighter green new growth almost danced above the more mature stems below. Can you imagine this exotically tropical plant in its full orange glory with the hot pink verbena nestled at its feet?

Leucospermum blooms at different stages of maturity.

Dear readers–please let me know if any of my plant identifications are way off here as none of this day’s gardens had any plant tags and my knowledge of many of the temperate climate plant material grown in both the Bay area and Southern California can be faulty!

Down a short driveway and through an arbored gate, the fairy tale continues with a path of large flagstones punctuated by cast concrete steps to accommodate the upslope of the back garden. The outstanding color combination of medium scaled shrubs in this wide foundation bed speaks volumes as to the care taken in plant selection by Keeyla–most of us could be paralyzed at the task of “decorating” a room with soft orange walls!

Directly across from the path and steps is this wall of black-eyed Susan vine, Thunbergia elata. Hot pink, this time in the form of a common geranium, again complements orange.

Included in the foundation planting are a pair of Coprosma (mirror plant, cultivar unknown) flanking a fabulous Abutilon megapotamicum ‘Orange Hot Lava’. At their feet is an Alstroemeria whose coloration complements the apricot, orange and burgundy theme.

An additional Abutilon tucked up against the window offers yet another complementary bloom.

I think WOW is the only word to describe this palette–never would have chosen it especially with the stucco color but this just shows what happens when you open yourself to run towards color rather than away from it. I am inspired!

In case the point wasn’t clear, this contemporary metal table and chairs on the patio between the foundation bed and the vine-draped fence let’s you know that this garden embraces color without fear. The mature oak in the background offers a shady area for native perennials including bright Mimulus.

Additional rock stairs lead to the garden’s highest point and another colorful dining patio.

The reddish hues of the Japanese maple are in keeping with the garden’s palette while acting as a relief from more plentiful green foliage.

Slope plantings are casual and punctuated by large boulders. The incline grows sunnier as you ascend and color is provided by perennials and colorful reseeding poppies and nasturtiums.

Purple is used sparingly throughout the garden but absolutely makes a statement here in this rambling purple trumpet vine, Clytostoma callistegiodes, draping the fence like a living wall.

This stunning hand made pot with plantings selected by the designer absolutely glows. These blooms provide a bright spot of color near a door on the service side of the house  used frequently by Mary-Ellis and her husband.

As I returned to my car–first visitor thus best parking spot-Mary-Ellis chases me down to make sure I saw this stunning plant which she called ‘cantua’ tucked back behind other shrubbery near her side gate. The fuchsia-like flowers on this somewhat sprawling loose shrub are easily 3 inches long. It has woody stems but they were clearly tied up for support. The flowers almost glow against the backdrop of her cottage’s stucco wall. A little research later over a quick lunch revealed it to be Cantua buxifolia, a native of the mountainous regions of Chile, Peru and Bolivia. Sometimes called the sacred flower of the Incas, it can apparently be grown from seed. I’m all over this one as long as I can find a spot in my garden where it is somewhat protected from frost.

I love going to gardens where I can see plants we do not commonly grow where I live whether due to climate challenges or other cultural issues. I happened to meet this gardener’s neighbor who was working in her front garden. We started talking plants   and I commented on how lucky they were in Berkeley that they could grow many near tropical plants that won’t tolerate our colder winters. I told her I was from the Central Valley and she replied that WE were so fortunate as she despaired that she can’t grow a decent tomato or zucchini due to their summer’s cool, moist air. I guess the grass is always greener…

More gardens to come on this East Bay outing–next up a House of Dreams in Oakland.