30 Michelin stars right now,” Taylor says. Taylor redesigned the culinary garden 10 years ago and part of that redesign was to surround it with perennial borders. They’ve included native plants in the borders, including giant hyssop, native milkweed, alpine alumroot and long-tube irises. “In the spring and summer, it’s just a riot of color surrounding the garden,” Taylor says. “In addition to adding beauty to the garden, they’re also instrumental in attracting beneficial insects and pollinators.” Over the years they’ve noticed a dramatic decrease in pest pressure and a dramatic increase in biodiversity. They’re seeing more bluebirds, native bees, dragonflies, moths and many species of butterflies. “In my experience, when you plant a highly diversified garden, it sort of comes into a balance,” Taylor says. Many of the native insects are helping to pollinate some of their crops and fruit trees. Taylor says they also help by preying on insect and rodent pests. “For example, the convergent lady beetle (Hippodamia convergens) will feast on aphids in both the larval stage as well as the adult stage which aids in keeping these pest populations in check,” he says. They planted the native narrowleaf and showy milkweed several years ago to attract monarch butterflies. “We’ve not only had success in attracting the monarchs, but we’ve also had success in these plants naturalizing,” Taylor says. “They’ve already reseeded in our garden and spread. It’s become so successful that we’ve created a whole other space in hopes of creating more habitat for the monarchs.” As to whether increasing biodiversity on the estate
Marin gardener Charlotte Torgovitsky has created a diverse garden providing habitat for many native insects and birds in this nursery in Novato.
March 2024
NorthBaybiz 51
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