California native plants landscape lighting natural meadow flagstone paving stone steps rock wall sunny slope terrace boulder garden wildlife pollinator plants

Lafayette Wildlife Garden

As a retirement gift to each other, our Lafayette clients wished to revitalize their vacant backyard hillside into a wildlife sanctuary. This inclusive habitat garden welcomes birds, pollinators, deer, and even bats, which were living under the house eaves. Three terraces linked by stone steps include wildlife-friendly features: Stone birdbaths and fountains, native plantings, patios to view wildlife and woodland hills, lighting for safe night journeys to watch the moon and stars, a veggie garden with pollinator plantings, deer corridor fence openings, and a bat house.

Key Garden Features

  • Sloped hillside with terraced pathways & patios

  • Habitat garden with pollinator plantings, water features, and a bat box

  • Stone steps and retaining walls

  • Stone birdbaths and fountains

  • Plantings reflecting native plant communities

A shallow basalt stone fountain is the perfect bird sanctuary in this hillside wildlife garden.
Stone steps curve organically up the steep hillside in this terraced wildlife garden, and a stone birdbath complements the natural stone walls near native plantings.
A grouping of columnar basalt forms a pondless fountain - water is a key habitat feature in this wildlife garden.
Stone landscape steps snake up the hillside in this terraced garden, and flagstone denotes the landing at the end of the DG pathway. An almost invisible fence denotes the deer corridor.
Stone landscape walls create an organic raised veggie bed area for this California couple to garden on their sunny hillside, and DG pathways make the area accessible.
Stone steps curve organically up the steep hillside in this terraced wildlife garden, flanked by dry stacked stone walls and native plantings.
A decomposed granite patio under a shade tree with lounge chairs to enjoy the hillside view.
A wood bench tucked into an alcove of the natural stone wall on a flagstone patio, looking out over this hillside wildlife garden.
A detail of a natural dry stacked stone wall flanking a native California meadow, with blooming perennials and grasses.
An organic flagstone pathway through a California native meadow on a sloped hillside garden with natural stone walls.
An organic flagstone pathway through a California native meadow on a sloped hillside garden with natural stone walls.
An organic flagstone pathway through a California native meadow.
A wood bench tucked into an alcove of the natural stone wall on a flagstone patio, looking out over this hillside wildlife garden.
A wood bench tucked into an alcove of the natural stone wall on a flagstone patio, looking out over this hillside wildlife garden.
A decomposed granite patio under a shade tree with lounge chairs to enjoy the hillside view.
A stone fountain with a local California songbird enjoying a bath.
A carefully placed bat box on a post to give local bats a place to roost in this California native wildlife garden.
A deer enjoys the deer corridor pass through on the natural terraced stone walls in this native California wildlife garden
A stone bench built into a natural stone wall within a native California meadow.
Timber tie utility steps with DG infill give easy access in the side yard of this California native hillside garden.
A low stone bridge connects a decomposed granite pathway over a seasonal creek.
Before and after — Lafayette hillside native garden transformation
Before and after — Lafayette hillside native garden transformation

This all-inclusive habitat garden welcomes birds, pollinators, deer, and even bats, which were living under the house eaves.

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Mt. Diablo Rock Garden