Welcome to Elizabeth's Edible Eden
                                         (a.k.a E* on the lagoon)
    Welcome to Elizabeth Bechtold's neophyte garden!  This garden was created as a place for peaceful contemplation and for members of the community to gather.  As a raw foodist, Elizabeth created a venue to share her passion for nutrition and clean living.  Elizabeth also has a passion for dancing, so she converted the workshop on the property to accommodate a dance hall, which she had updated with sprung maple floors, mirrors, and music.  Designer Gary Marsh planned the deck, the manzanita arbor, and front gate.  The raw material and sensuous lines were chosen to give the yard more organic and natural lines.  Master carpenter Ron Cutter built the deck and dock. The deck was constructed entirely of old growth redwood; you might notice that the wood has no knots.
    The garden designers, Misty Morning Gardens, intended to create a garden to accommodate Elizabeth's lifestyle, and the people that would be sharing the garden.  There are several types of edible delights scattered throughout the garden that were used both for their decorative value, as well as for their practical purposes.  Throughout the garden are several dwarf citrus trees: a dancy tangerine, a Buddha lemon, an avocado, and several others.  There is also an assortment of herb: thymes, basils, parsley, oreganos, tarragon, mints, chives, chervils, etc.  There are also a number of vegetables: tomatoes, peppers, chard, lettuce, celery, and many others.  The garden also features: two Japanese maples, a weeping cherry, a kiwi arbor (with two different types of fruit), evergreen clematis, hardenbergia vines, pieris japonicas, rhododendrons, several miscanthus varieties, ferns, hellebores, and many others.  The plants were sele! cted to mirror style and needs of the garden.  To accommodate the high soil requirements of the edible delights, and the lack of nutrients in Alameda's sandy soil, over 70 cubic yards of new soil were brought into the yard.  The old dirt was trenched 12 inches deep, dumped, and replaced with the new soil.
    Scott Harris made the fountains and fences.  The fountain in the back was constructed with former San Francisco street curbs.  The curbs, made of solid granite, have varied purpose in the yard; they act as retaining walls, raised beds, and steeping stones.  The rock for the front yard fountain is from Sedona, Arizona and was deigned to have a floating effect; it has been nicknamed "Houdini."   Harris also installed a water fountain & outdoor shower that were made with redwood roots; the pieces were used to continue the organic lines that are featured throughout the yard.
    Other features of the yard are new terrain, bold containers, and luscious foliage.  The garden is designed to rotate color and interest throughout the year.  Features like the flagstone path & the manzanita arbor purposely divide each section of the yard.  The area next to the dance hall that features the drinking fountain has been designated the "kissing garden" so that guests may slip away for privacy on balmy Alameda evenings. The shipwreck scene was created by Elizabeth Bechtold, and creates an entertaining scene for the garden.
    Though this yard was just recently completed so we anticipate that it is only going to become more lush and beautiful.  We hope that our guests will be able to return and witness the evolution of the yard.  It was created for everyone to share in its delights.  Please let us know if you have any questions.  If you are interested in knowing about the various groups that will be meeting here or any upcoming dances, please talk directly with Elizabeth Bechtold.