Urban Wildlife Habitat

Island morning glory and California lilac slip through an iron fence to greet travelers on their way to the nearby Metro Station. This 3,900-square-foot Certified Wildlife Habitat and Monarch Waystation wraps a meticulously restored workman's cottage in one of Santa Monica's most urban neighborhoods. Inside its gate, decomposed granite paths invite visitors to explore beds filled with white and bubblegum pink buckwheat, aromatic bee's bliss, and other fragrant native sages. In the spring, dainty blue-eyed grass is a favorite-they open their deep blue "eyes" only to the sun. Installed in 2012, the garden's feathery, blooming yarrow lawn and parkway, as well as a UC Verde Buffalo Grass lawn, held their aesthetics through the water restrictions of 2022. The garden needs just 20 percent of the water needed by a traditional garden-the latest subsurface drip irrigation technology and organic mulch keep the space lush, leafy, and chemical free. Four rain barrels save rain to help tide over the native plants during hot spells and to support legacy exotic plants in rain-free time frames. Edible greenery fills substantial raised beds and benefits from pollinators drawn to the native foliage. Herbs, veggies, oranges, and lemons supply only a fraction of the edibles produced in the garden. Much of the garden's native foliage is edible-including one of its two meadow grasses!

Open Days 2023: Saturday, May 6
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.