Great parks and gardens abound in the East Bay. Following is a list of public gardens in Alameda County that demonstrate Bay-Friendly Gardening techniques.
- Oakland Bay-Friendly Demonstration Garden
Lakeside Park
666 Bellevue Avenue, Oakland
Compost bins recycle plant debris, broken concrete creates an urbanite bench, decomposed granite and glass cullet cover pathways, mulch controls weeds and saves water, native plant communities mimic natural systems, Mediterranean plants thrive with drip irrigation, birds find refuge—this garden demonstrates some of the key elements of Bay-Friendly gardens.
- Livermore Bay-Friendly Demonstration Garden
3589 Pacific Avenue, Livermore
Compost bins recycle plant debris, broken concrete creates raised beds, mulch covers paths, Mediterranean plants thrive with drip irrigation, seasonally grown edibles thrive in the valley climate, butterflies gather food and lay eggs—this garden demonstrates some of the key elements of Bay-Friendly gardens.
- Regional Parks Botanic Garden
Tilden Park, Berkeley
www.nativeplants.org
The Regional Parks Botanic Garden contains the world's most complete collection of California native plants, including rare and endangered species. Its visitor center (wheelchair accessible) offers tours and lectures throughout the year.
- University of California Botanical Garden
200 Centennial Drive, Berkeley
botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu
The Botanical Garden is located in Strawberry Canyon on the Berkeley campus overlooking San Francisco Bay. The Garden's 34 acres contain over 12,000 species and varieties of plants from all over the world. Arranged by region of origin, the Garden has outstanding collections of cacti, rhododendrons, Chinese medicinal herbs, Western herbs and California natives. The sloping site offers excellent views of San Francisco Bay.
- Drought Tolerant Demonstration Garden
Alameda County Water District
43885 South Grimmer Boulevard, Fremont
www.acwd.org/waterconserv.html
The plants growing in this garden include California natives as well as Mediterranean and Australian exotics, all of which are successful drought resistant citizens in San Francisco Bay Area low water-use gardens. The irrigation system has a greater variety of components than one would expect to find in this size garden—this was done for the purpose of demonstration.
- Alameda Butterfly Habitat
200 Aughinbaugh Road, Alameda
bayfarm.ca.campusgrid.net
The Alameda Butterfly Habitat is located adjacent to Bay Farm Elementary School. California native and Mediterranean plants were selected based on their qualities as host and nectar plants for butterflies. Educational student created signs and plant markers located throughout the garden offer self-guided tours for curious visitors everyday.
- Sausal Creek Native Plant Restoration
3860 Hanly Road, Dimond Park, Oakland
www.sausalcreek.org
A 15,000 square foot native plant demonstration garden complements the creekside restoration project undertaken by the Friends of Sausal Creek.
- Sulphur Creek Nature Center
1801 D Street, Hayward
hard.dst.ca.us/sulphur_creek.html
A native wildflower meadow surrounded by native plants of the oak woodland. Learn about watersheds, creek life, and the animals and plants that depend on this important habitat. Find out how you can create a garden to offer protection, food and water to a host of birds and butterflies with the new interactive Plant It and They Will Come exhibit.
If you know of other public gardens in Alameda County that should be included in this list, please send us an e-mail: bayfriendly@stopwaste.org
You can become a Bay-Friendly Gardener with these resources:
