Novato plant nursery transforms Marin garden

Novato Healthcare Center, a 181-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility in Novato, had just a small patio area with four raised beds, an old fig tree and a few other plants.

That is, until Home Ground Habitats, a nonprofit, volunteer-led native plant nursery in Novato, sponsored it and, led by intern Lea Ortiz, transformed it from a pretty basic blank canvas into an interesting space that now invites residents and their guests and popular pollinators to come in. The ultimate goal is to educate residents on native plants and habitat gardening and to help Novato become a certified community wildlife habitat.

“The idea for the garden was to help Novato become more aware of nature and provide a safe environment for life to continue, while also offering a place for families and residents to see a bigger part of nature and life,” said Darren Chan, an administrative assistant at Novato Healthcare Center.

Today, they can stroll a curving gravel path and experience a garden of native plants that features blue-eyed grass; Pacific reedgrass; California fuchsia; California lilac; coast buckwheat; coffee berry; creeping buckwheat; red-flowered buckwheat; Douglas iris; little leaf sage; white sage; manzanita; manzanita groundcover; narrowleaf milkweed; sea pink; western columbine; Pacific reedgrass; purple needlegrass; woodland strawberry; yarrow; yerba buena; sticky monkeyflower; seaside daisy; and creeping California buckwheat.

Once established, the plants will have varying bloom times throughout the year and will attract and support birds, bees and butterflies, including the monarch butterfly.

The month-long project concluded in December and achieved recognition from the National Wildlife Federation as a certified wildlife habitat that month and became the 85th site to be certified in Novato.

Recognition means that Novato Healthcare Center proved that it created a pesticide-free garden that met key requirements, such as providing at least three sources of food, such as native berries, seeds, nectar or feeders; offering one clean source of water, such as a birdbath, pond or shallow dish with pebbles for insects; offering two shelter options, such as dense shrubs, brush or log piles, or birdhouses; having two spots for pollinators to raise their young; and implementing at least two sustainable practices, such as using native plants, reducing lawns, composting or water conservation.

Today, the garden offers “a lot more reason for residents to sit there and just enjoy the calming nature of it,” Chan said. “Also, families love it because they can follow a pathway through the garden that really allows you to get in-between the garden.”

He especially appreciates the path and the way it invites people to linger in the garden.

“It’s such a nice touch being able to walk through the garden,” he said.

There’s a larger picture for him, too. The garden has allowed the facility “to be part of the change and be able to protect what we started,” Chan said. And having it certified “means that we are joining our community in something that matters to us along with something that our residents can hold on to,” he said.

Helping monarch butterflies

Learn how to help monarch butterflies and support their populations in Marin at Marin Master Gardener Peter Norton’s talk at 1 p.m. Monday at the San Anselmo Council Chambers at 525 San Anselmo Ave. in San Anselmo. Admission is free. Register at townofsananselmolibrary.libcal.com.

Show off

If you have a beautiful or interesting Marin garden or a newly designed Marin home, I’d love to know about it.

Please send an email describing either one (or both), what you love most about it and a photograph or two. I will post the best ones in upcoming columns. Your name will be published, and you must be over 18 years old and a Marin resident.

Don’t-miss event

Join Novato Garden Club members for coffee, tea and sweets before the club’s free monthly meeting at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Margaret Todd Senior Center at 1560 Hill Road in Novato. This month’s program at 2:30 p.m. is “Successful Garden Tips, Tricks and Tools.” For more information, email GardenClubNovato@gmail.com or go to novatogardenclub.org.

PJ Bremier writes on home, garden, design and entertaining topics every Saturday. She may be contacted at P.O. Box 412, Kentfield 94914, or at pj@pjbremier.com.