Microclimate and Ecology
This garden is located on the alluvial fan of San Francisquito Creek, one of the last remaining surface-running creeks on the San Francisco peninsula. This residence is located in the thermal belts, one of Northern California’s best horticultural climates. The adjacent Santa Cruz Mountains allow cool air to filter down down the slope, keeping temperatures moderate.
Historically these foothills were a mosaic of grassland meadows, open oak woodland, and riparian corridors running out to the Bay. The remaining oaks that dot the neighborhood are remnants of this special ecology.
The garden is already gifted with the sweet shade of a mature elm and two native oaks from many years before our time. Soon they will have a flourishing understory of drought-adapted, wildlife-welcoming plants.
Future activities include but are not limited to dipping in the pool, fireside chats, scheming/dreaming in the A-frame play hut, and the occasional dog vs. squirrel race. We are also super excited for our plans to re-use some of the existing site materials in new ways.