A changeable garden grows in Novato

After 33 years of cultivating the “petit jardin” of her Novato condominium, Sharon McCloskey has figured out what works, what doesn’t and what draws her to it.

“I have plants I have found that work for my garden and are reliable and I am sticking with them,” she says. “It is fun to shop at the nursery, bring them home and add them to the garden. What a great hobby.”

Her garden, with little cultivable land available, is defined by hardscaping and mostly terracotta containers. Yet, McCloskey has somehow managed to amass a collection of plants that please her — and the wildlife that visit — all within the footprint of her small backyard and front patio.

“When I first moved here there was nothing. So I had a clean start and could just have fun imagining what it would look like,” she says.

McCloskey, an avid gardener and a former president of the Novato Garden Club, says she started her garden as soon as she moved in.

“It has taken years because plants die, seasons change and it is fun to try new things,” she says.

She did have inspiration growing up with a father who enjoyed working in his garden.

“He liked all flowers and there were always tomato plants every summer,” she recalls.

And, her brother, a skilled carpenter who built the small step-up deck for her in her backyard, also taught her to lay bricks, which are laden in her front patio. That’s where she grows cymbidiums along with the coleus and fibrous begonias that she’ll switch out for cyclamens when winter arrives.

While the backyard, with its deck and patio areas, has some shade, it is mostly sunny and well suited for heat-loving plants.

The area looks out onto perhaps 15 acres of open space dotted with oak trees and an ever-changing cast of wildlife. There are deer and an occasional coyote but she’s counted more than 42 species of birds that frequent her nearby patio.

“My hearing is very good and if I can’t see the bird I can identify it because I can hear it,” she says.

Along this wildland interface, McCloskey has planted sage, lavender, bee’s bliss sage and hummingbird sage to help support pollinators and she’s planted some milkweed, which is necessary for the survival of monarch butterflies.

There are hummingbird feeders, a suet feeder, a saucer of water and a nesting box for the birds.

“The nesting box has been used by the western bluebirds, oak titmouse and this year, the violet green swallow,” she says. “Very fun and exciting.”

The garden, deck and patio area is an extension of her house and where McCloskey prefers to be.

“In the evenings, there are good views of the night sky and, if I am lucky, I hear the great horned owl.”

It’s also where she likes to read and do her yoga.

“I also do a lot of birding from my deck and patio and my binoculars are always by my side along with a cup of tea,” she says. “I am working in the garden dead heading my plants, watering and making sure everything looks good. I sweep a lot, too.”

Roses thrive in large plastic pots on the deck and patio while smaller terra cotta pots contain petunias, zinnias, sunflowers, verbenas, succulents and hanging geraniums.

“I change my pots and garden to reflect the season with plants that are in season,” she says. “It’s so fun to change plants and get a new look. That is a really good thing about container gardening because it is so easy to do.”

Besides a resident lemon tree and herbs, such as parsley, chives, thyme, basil and oregano, “there is always a pot of chard growing,” she says.

She keeps her garden work to a minimum, using no pesticides or fertilizers, only adds compost to the roses and is careful with her water usage.

“I use water I collect from the shower to help water my plants and, though it is not enough, it is better than not using the shower water,” she says.

At this time, she figures, her garden is finally complete, but as every gardener knows, a good garden is never really finished.

“I am trying to simplify by taking some pots away and using calmer colors,” she says. “But it is what I love to do, so why does it really matter if there are too many pots? It is always neat and orderly and I so enjoy what I am doing.”

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.

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.