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Courtesy stopwaste.org

This garden on Tarryton Isle uses drought-resistant plants to reduce water use, runoff and pollution.

After living in San Francisco for 25 years, Phil McPherson and David Gaskin were ready to move somewhere with space for a garden. They weren't too impressed by the house they toured on Tarryton Isle until they walked into the backyard and the expansive lagoon frontage changed their mind.

The backyard was covered in lawn, concrete and bunched up pine trees, but 25 years of pent-up gardening energy helped them make the transformation successful.

Now just a year later they can watch shorebirds fish in the lagoon while playing dominoes on their patio. McPherson and Gaskin wanted to lose the lawn and create a drought-tolerant landscape. They asked their landscaper friend James Done to help them develop a list of plants that can thrive without a lot of water.

All plants, even those in containers are on drip irrigation, and mulch and compost help the soil retain moisture.

"Of all the yards I have seen in Alameda County, this one most clearly evokes the spirit of gardening," a member of Stopwaste.org said. With 165 feet of lagoon frontage, McPherson and Gaskin are very aware that all inputs they use for the garden go straight into the Bay.

They tore out the large concrete patio in their backyard and replaced it with permeable dry set stones.

They also tore out part of the front parking area to make room for new planting beds.

Chunks from the old concrete patio are now urbanite pathways and help build up planting berms.

Stopwaste.org recently featured the couple's garden among several others in the Gold Coast neighborhood of Alameda on its Bay Friendly Garden Tour.