Arcadia Neighborhood East
Wednesday, August 26, 6:00pm to 8:00pm
This is an open-house style tour. The garden owners will be at home between 6:00 and 8:00. Stop by in any order you wish.
These gardens are within a few blocks of each other. If you want to tour on foot, you can park on the street near one garden and walk to the others.
The five addresses are below (see also the map linked to the button at above right). You can read some of the gardeners’ stories here, and all the hosts will be at home to talk about their gardens on the 25th.
633 Weaver Avenue
We moved to Kalamazoo in 2004 and bought this house on a corner lot, with its big trees, sloping lawn, and many ornamental beds. We weren’t prepared or particularly motivated to maintain the landscaping in the conventional way with irrigation, fertilizer, and herbicides. Eventually, alarm about climate change and a new interest in birds led us toward becoming more intentional stewards of our land. We started with two pawpaws and a few native shrubs, and in 2021 began converting entire beds and sections of lawn. In an incremental and experimental way, we’ve planted about 2400 plants of 180 species so far. Though there were frustrations, mistakes, and surprises, it’s been a rewarding learning experience for us. We now enjoy the abundance of life here, and plan to expand our native plantings each year. -Paul and Beth
915 Weaver Avenue
I first became the steward of my property at 915 Weaver Ave in 2012. At 32, I was a solo, first time home-buyer, and eager to improve the sparse landscaping on the property. Even though I am an ecologist, I did not immediately think of my home as a place that could be an ecological santuary. I remember that the first plants I put in were traditional bulbs like crocuses and tulips. My thinking in terms of stewardship evolved over time, in part because our neighborhood is so rich in history – including Weaver Ave being a boundary of the Potawatomi Reservation in the 1820’s – and in part because I grew to love the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. In 2013, I started intentionally including native grasses (big bluestem) in my landscaping to help prevent erosion and water from getting into my basement, and from then on I was hooked.
Over the last decade+ I have killed off nine different areas of the lawn and replaced them with different mixtures of native plants. I also run a mini-Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) vegetable garden. Combined, the native gardens and CSA are called Black Dog Gardens, in honor of the two dogs that have been my constant gardening sidekicks. I enjoy tracking plant and pollinator phenology and post pictures on Instagram @blackdog_gardens. In 2025, there were 50 native species that flowered on the property from April to September. -Kathryn
858 Dobbin Drive
Our yard on Dobbin Drive continues to evolve. When we bought the house in 1990, we were drawn to the large backyard that included a woodlot – perfect for raising four young sons. The yard included five Colorado Blue spruces, a Norway spruce, a Douglas fir, a Concolor Fir, many Norway Maples, and lots of cultivated roses and ornamentals.
Many of the large trees were planted very close to the house. The woodlot was full of buckthorn, Asian honeysuckle, English ivy, vinca/periwinkle/myrtle, white mulberry, multiflora rose,…
Initiated by our youngest son, Griffin, in 2004, we began removing invasives and converting the yard to native plants while also decreasing the turf grass. We share the yard now with birds, insects, rabbits, chipmunks, groundhogs, and more. When our grandchildren visit, they appreciate the space, wildness, and beauty of the flowers, shrubs, and trees. Ongoing challenges include deer pressure, black knot fungus, creeping Charlie, ground elder, periwinkle, ajuga, and other invasives. -Karen
919 Dobbin Drive
918 Farrell Avenue