Enjoy the company of feathered friends? This garden is a must see!
If birds ran Yelp!, this songbird restaurant would get top ratings! It’s bursting with native blooms, berries, and seeds throughout the year. In addition to a great meal, birds of several feathers find the kind of lush, leafy, safe habitat that encourages them to return again and again.
Leor, Gordon and Johnny Ownby hosted the Native Plant Garden Tour for the second time in 2025.
Spring Tour Snapshot
Tour day delighted us! Thank you to those who visited, to Theodore Payne Foundation who hosted, and to our delightful docents, Teresa and Brynne! Most especially, thank you to Leor, Gordon and Johnny for being such hospitable, engaging hosts. Here is a snapshot of the tour day joy.
and Johnny!
We’ve never seen so many visitors with large, professional cameras! While we’d love to think they came to capture one of our gardens, we know they hoped to capture the interest of award-winning photographer, Gordon Ownby, who generously shares his bird photo secrets.
Everyone has moments to remember. The Ownby’s enjoyed in-garden conversations and simply watching as visitors linger at the manzanitas and lilacs at the garden’s entrance. We were thrilled to see the pocket gardens Leor created, adding more California Lilac, Woolly Blue Curls and other favorites. Of course, we were all thrilled 2021 Tour Host Teresa Mackey joined us as a docent!
Our most memorable moments? Every time we caught someone realizing Leor’s coffee table bonsai is a ceanothus! The surprise and delight! We can’t wait to learn if it will host full sized blooms or mini-flowers as tiny as its glossy leaves.
Winter Snapshot
Gordon keeps his camera at the ready in winter too. Birds feast on Toyon berry and Manzanita nectar. They enjoy the deep cover provided by the diverse and abundant foothill-indigenous plants.
Our Toyons provide good cover for birds
Gordon Ownby
most of the year and their holiday red berries guarantee some “snacking” bird photos
in the late fall.
If you are in your garden a lot, the hummingbirds
Gordon Ownby
will grow accustomed to seeing you and
won’t mind sharing some quality time near you.
Because they fly “still” when feeding and
frequently take breaks, the chances of
getting a nice sharp photo are pretty good.
Summer Snapshot
Here, the Ownby’s front garden shows off its summer look. Still lush, leafy, generous habitat, many of the spring-blooming plants begin to berry or go to seed. Others host new, summer blooms.
See more photos in the full project gallery in Houzz, where you can save your favorite ideas.
Plant Palettes
Want to create a forever tweeting wildlife garden? Check out the plant palette of the Ownby’s Songbird Garden, and save your favorite bird garden ideas in Pinterest. For Gordon Ownby’s tips on capturing spectacular wildlife photos, see our Client Insights section.
