We proudly present the gardens & gardeners
of the
2011 Sage & Songbirds Garden Tour
Stories by Maureen Austin, CHIRP for Garden Wildlife, Inc.
Photos of gardeners by Andy King, King Photography Studio
"Garden Glimpses" photos by Vanessa Rusczyk, Studio Soledad
All stories and photos are property of CHIRP.
Please email us for permission to reprint.
Please plan to join us for our 15th Annual Sage & Songbirds Festival & Garden Tour, May 4-6, 2012. A new selection of gardens & gardeners are featured each year.**
**(The exception to this is our bonus site, Sky Hunters Raptor Education & Rehabilitation, which is a regular part of our tour each year. We strongly support their work and hope that you visit them as part of our tour.)
GARDEN ONE - Janet Bunce
GARDEN TWO - Sterling Bunce
GARDEN THREE - Rod & Guille Tuttle
GARDEN FOUR - Bonnie Teckemeyer
GARDEN FIVE - Fred & Pat Cimins
BONUS SITE - Sky Hunters Raptor Education & Rehabilitation
Janet Bunce
Mom’s “payback” is a peaceful habitat
Payback can be a beautiful thing...especially when it relates to a garden.
Janet Bunce nurtured her son, Sterling, as he grew up, and now, as an adult, he has cultivated a special place for her where nature can nurture his mother.
It’s a small, low maintenance garden that’s big on ambiance and relaxation...
A recirculating water feature extends over about two-thirds of the cozy backyard, with palm trees and succulents making for easy maintenance.
It wasn’t always so, however. The yard started as a lawn, 13 years ago.
“When I first moved here we put in a lawn because that’s what I was used to,” Janet said. But like so many others, she became disillusioned with her lawn when it became too expensive and laborious to maintain. “And no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t keep it green!” she exclaimed.
“With water getting to be so expensive, I thought it would be nice to have something different,” she recalled. She consulted with her gardener, Amber, and the two of them decided a water feature would be a complementary solution.
They didn’t have to look far for a contractor to do the job, as Amber’s husband, Bob, (Alpine Waterfeature & Landscaping) has created many exemplary displays in the area.
So three years ago, Bob began tearing out the back lawn and replacing it with a waterfall and creek, while in the front yard, Sterling replaced that lawn with gravel, boulders, stone accents and succulents.
The waterfeature, which Janet said exceeded her expectations, took on a personal, sentimental touch when she added a boulder from Rush Creek in the Sierra Mountains, a place where her husband started camping when he was 12 years old. The tradition of camping there continued with Sterling and his siblings, and to date, with Sterling and his own son.
When Janet’s husband passed away, his ashes were scattered at Rush Creek, and the Rush Creek boulder was brought home. A sign in the back yard, near the water, reads “Rush Creek.”
Another personal element that Janet has added to her back yard are decorative turtles and tortoises.
“I’m a turtle person,” she laughed. Indeed she is--with a tortoise she has had as a pet for 52 years, since Sterling found it near their Glendale home when he was a toddler.
The tortoise, who Sterling named “Pete”, hibernates 6 months of the year. “He’s a 6-month pet,” she laughs.
It’s doubtful that Pete will be awake to welcome visitors, but a relaxing visit awaits, nonetheless, at Garden #1 on the Sage & Songbirds Garden Tour.
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Sterling Bunce
Labor-intensive lawn swapped for sizzing succulents
When he was 9 years old, this gardener started a lawn care business. But as an adult, he decided caring for a lawn was too much work so he swapped it for succulents. Today, Sterling Bunce has a succulent collection that is worthy of envy--and worth a fortune!
With aloes reaching heights of 8 feet and 4 feet across, and African saguaros upwards of 16 feet with numerous “arms”, it is evident that Sterling has replaced his lawn with a new passion.
“It becomes an addiction,” he laughs. His “addiction” is an adventure in art that began 16 years ago when he moved to his Alpine home, and began planting.
“I go for color and texture” he said, noting that succulents have hues of yellow, blue and red, in addition to various shades of green. “I don’t plant the generic ones.”
The botanical names of his plants are of little concern to him--what he does care about is how they blend in with the overall scheme of his gardens. The names Sterling gives his succulents are descriptive--”paddle cactus” and “blue nubby” are just a few.
And while he may not know their “official” names, he has an intense understanding of the plants and their habits.
Sterling says that certain plants will have more vibrant reddish hues when they get less water and/or more cold temperatures.
He will also tell you that aloes with thorns in the center of the leaves are the more rare ones, and that where thorns protrude from leaves on cacti and succulents, evening moisture is absorbed into the plant to help it survive days with minimal water.
And his plants do just that--survive on minimal water. One area of his garden gets watered once a month during summer, and not at all during winter.
“They get watered 3 times a year,” he laughs. Other areas get more frequent waterings of once a week.
A portion of the Bunce’s 1.75 acre parcel has been maintained in its native habitat of manzanita, wild yucca and oaks, which blend seamlessly with his succulents.
Nature and natural suits Sterling just fine.
“I’m inclined to leave the plants as they would be in nature,” he says, referring to his towering aloes with gnarly, twisted old growth that wraps around the trunk of the plant.
Some experts say the old growth should be removed, while others say it should never be taken from the plant. Sterling sides with the latter. He said he likes the way it looks and believes it may also offer some protection for the trunk from the sun and cold.
While there may be varying opinions about the old growth on aloes, there is no contest that creatures of nature approve of the Bunce’s habitat. Giant Swallowtail butterflies raise their young in the many citrus trees, and hummingbirds nest in paddle cactus and African saguaro. Sights and songs of birds float freely throughout the gardens from their perches in the tall trees overhead.
Garden tourists will delight in this rare glimpse of sixteen-year-old, uncommon succulents.
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Guille & Rod Tuttle
Songbirds are invited to share the fruit of this orchard
These gardeners don’t mind sharing the fruit from their trees...not even with the birds. In fact, much of their garden bounty is grown with the intention of sharing it.
Rod and Guille Tuttle have a pact with their friends that gifts exchanged for holidays and other occasions may not be purchased, rather, must be handmade.
“We all have enough ties,” Rod laughs. What the Tuttles proffer in this pact has come to be greatly coveted among family and friends--and that is the fruits of their garden, literally.
Favorite gifts include brandied kumquats, apple pie filling, jalapeno jelly, tangerine jam, plum jam, salsa and more. All are canned fresh from their completely organic garden and orchard, which includes every kind of fruit tree imaginable--from common citrus and stone fruits, to mangos and cherimoyas.
Each of the 43-plus trees are focal points in this 2-acre garden, where pallets of stacking blocks form walls and wells around individual trees. And to assure each tree reaches maximum production, the Tuttles spare no expense for what they consider “the best” tree pruner and feeding specialist.
Jim, of Jim’s Horticulture Service, offers up a blend of organic food to meet each tree’s needs, and Joe of Considerate Tree Service prunes and shapes each tree to assure that each branch can support its bounty.
“It makes all the difference in the world for our harvest,” Rod says.
The other key ingredient to the Tuttles success with fruit trees is precise watering. Rod has installed three 24-station controllers, providing 70 zones, enabling him to give each tree and plant exactly what it needs--no more, no less.
“Whatever a plant needs, it gets, “ he says, but he is by no means frivolous with water use. Trees get a deep watering once weekly, and a gentle misting between times to keep the top layer of mulch moist so additional deep watering is not needed.
Another of their water-saving measures was to remove a large portion of lawn and replace it with 5500 sq. ft. of artificial turf and golf greens, which cut their water bill by 50 percent, Rod said.
“Not only that, but now we actually USE our lawn, and the rabbits aren’t here eating it” he laughed. They incorporated 2 putting greens into the turf, alongside the pool, adding yet another element to their primary entertaining area.
The Tuttles, who were among the first residents of Alpine’s Rancho Palo Verde, have spent the past 23 years learning to work with nature. Numerous river rock creeks throughout the gardens are functional during rains, Guille said.
“We decided not to fight Mother Nature. Where ever there’s a creek bed--that’s where water was flowing through our property. We decided to just go with it,” she laughed. They also live in harmony with all the critters in their garden.
“We share with the birds,” she said, “and we don’t kill anything.” But not all creatures are welcome. Guille said that although she realizes the value of rattlesnakes, Rod catches and releases them elsewhere for the sake of their dog. As an additional precaution, the dog has been to rattlesnake aversion classes and is up-to-date with her rattlesnake vaccine shots.
Gophers are successfully deterred with solar repellents. But most other creatures are welcome, including the swallows that make mud nests on the side of their house, keeping them “bug free” during the birds’ residency, and the wide variety of songbirds who share the Tuttles harvest of fruits, nuts and berries.
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Bonnie Teckemeyer
Her living wall is a sensational succulent sight!
This gardener’s “can do” attitude has led to some fascinating garden features, not the least of which is a four-feet wide by eight-feet high, living succulent wall. Most people see a clever garden idea and only wish they could implement it in their own yard. Bonnie Teckemeyer makes it happen!
When Bonnie saw the idea of a succulent wall in Sunset Magazine a few years ago she said to herself, “I can do that!” And she did...
“Everyone thought I was nuts,” she laughs, recalling how flats of rooting succulents covered most of her garden pathways for about 6 months.
With design help from her son-in-law, the wall structure was created of lattice, 2x4s, chicken wire, cocoa mat, sphagnum moss and soil.
Once ready to plant, Bonnie and four of her friends starting sticking plants into the wall.
“Two had a design plan and three of us didn’t,” she recalls. “After a while, design plans were cast aside and rooted plants were just stuffed anywhere!”
Various echeverias, sempervivums and senecios were the plants chosen. The wall took one day to build, one day to plant, and six months for the plants--cuttings from elsewhere in her garden--to form roots. The result is a sensational succulent sight!
The Teckemeyers moved to Alpine in 1971, but it’s only been the past 14 years that Bonnie has actively gardened on their 2-acre lot. One small section was initially planted in herbs and everlastings when she started taking classes at Mountain Herb Company in Alpine in 1987.
When Sage & Songbirds was born, in 1996, Bonnie planted Cleveland Sage, the project icon plant, along with many other habitat plants to attract birds and butterflies. Hers was one of the first Alpine gardens to be certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a Backyard Habitat.
Today her garden is chock full of winged wildlife, attracted there by the colorful perennials, fragrant herbs, nostalgic roses, and many varieties of her newest passion--succulents.
“Succulents are so easy!” she said. “And there are so many to choose from.” Many of the containers in which she had previously grown herbs have been repotted with succulents, “and now people are noticing them,” she said, citing an old bathtub in particular.
Those “noticing” include a group of 40 lady-friends for whom Bonnie and two friends host an annual Mad Hatter's Tea party. For the past 6 years, decorations for the tables and in the garden have featured a different character or event from the Lewis Carroll book, “Alice in Wonderland.”
This year’s focus is on the croquet game with the pink flamingos and hedgehogs. The White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat, Alice, and the Mad Hatter will also be in residence in the garden, along with Bonnie’s colorful collection of over a dozen teapots and teacups, created by Alpine artist, Christine Vargas.
And yes, Pink Flamingos will greet visitors to this site.
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Fred & Pat Cimins
They let no grass grow under their feet!
This couple lets no grass grow under their feet--in more ways than one!
Early in 2010, Fred and Pat Cimins were fed-up with their high water bills, so they contacted a landscape designer to remove their lawn and make a new plan for their yard, with focus on native plants. When things didn’t move fast enough, Fred decided to take on the task himself.
“I know AutoCad, so I decided to do my own design,” the retired engineer said. He researched hundreds of native and other drought-tolerant plants, making note of such elements as height, width, bloom period, and color. He visited numerous websites, perused many books and even took a class on drought tolerant plants.
Fred recalls his great frustration with conflicting information on the same plant.
“One source says the plant will grow 2-feet by 2-feet, and the next reference says it will be 4 by 4,” he said.
Yet he was determined to devise a plan--and he did.
“My driving force was the high water bill,” he said. “My goal was to rid us of the grass and lower our water bill.”
Indeed he was successful in removing all but a small patch of grass that his wife wanted to keep. A variety of native plants were installed, according to his plan.
As for the water bill, he said he lowered his water consumption, but did not lower his water bill, due to ongoing water rate hikes. As a result, the Cimins now have a handsome habitat, rich in quality of food, shelter and nesting area for birds, butterflies and beneficial insects. Their 3/4 acre property is recognized by the National Wildlife Federation as a Certified Backyard Habitat.
The new garden has been a learning experience, Fred says, and he’s not so sure he would focus exclusively on native plants, were he to do it again.
“I’m disappointed in many of the natives,” he said. “They seem to be temperamental. Their name indicates they should be easy to grow, but just the opposite seems to be true.”
Not one to give up, Fred has replaced some of them with other, non-native, low-water, habitat plants to complement the existing palette and hardscape, most of which they also designed themselves. A remote patio with a shower and kidney-shaped pond with gentle waterfall are among the garden features.
Fred said they decided on the kidney shape pond because he is a kidney transplant recipient. The organ donation changed his life. At a time when Fred was on dialysis and quite ill, they got the call they had banked their hopes on for 4 years. That was at 11 pm, just after going to bed. Leaving immediately, Pat drove them to the hospital, where his new kidney was transplanted the next day. That was on Dec. 6, 2002.
Today, he has a new lease on life, and so does their garden. There is a rightly-deserved sense of tranquility here, that visitors to this site, Garden #5, will enjoy.
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Nancy Conney
Get eye-to-eye with some birds-of-prey...unforgettable!
It’s doubtful you will ever look at a bird-of-prey in the same light, once you have visited this unique site, with some very unique raptors.
Sky Hunters Raptor Education and Rehabilitation facility, located in the Japatul Valley area of Alpine, has been featured as a “bonus site” on the Sage & Songbirds Garden Tour for the past 7 years. By popular demand and with great appreciation, it will again be open to garden tour ticket holders.
Nancy and John Conney graciously open their facility for Sage & Songbirds each year, at the request of event organizers who recognize the importance of raptor education as it relates to the garden, to garden wildlife, and to the overall health of the environment. (And Sage & Songbirds is all about education--and enjoying it! )
Visitors are sure to enjoy a visit to Sky Hunters, where they will meet many of the magnificent birds of prey often seen only from a distance--and only if you are lucky.
Among the 25 “resident” non-releaseable raptors currently housed and cared for by Nancy and John Conney are owls (barn owl, screech owl, burrowing owl, long-eared owl, barred owl and great-horned owl); a golden eagle and a bald eagle; several North American falcons (kestrel, gyr, prairie and peregrine); hawks (gos hawk, ferruginous, harris and red tailed), a turkey vulture, a kite, and their newest addition--a crested caracara.
These are birds that have been injured, or were captured by humans who tried raising them as domestic pets, causing the birds to be “non-releaseable.”
“Any animal you take out of the wild and hand feed, and then let it go, you are sending to its death,” Nancy says.
Nancy, with the help of her husband, through the direction of board of directors, and under license of both California Fish & Game and U.S. Federal Fish & Wildlife, cares for hundreds of raptors each year in the Alpine facility.
About 75 percent are rehabilitated and released, but some cannot be released for various reasons, such as permanent injury, etc. Many of these are maintained as educational birds.
Visitors to this bonus site will have the opportunity to meet many of these birds. To visit their website, please click here.
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photos by Vanessa Rusczyk, Studio Soledad
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