Black Canyon Railroad Garden

About

Our garden is in 3 areas. Our private front yard is the most unusual area. A model train runs along a wall below a south facing bank. 200+ miniature plants, bonsais, succulents, and ground covers frame the railroad, its structures and dioramas. Sun-loving flowering species and shrubs occupy the sun-soaked parts of the bank. Different species occupy shaded areas. The bed in front of the railroad is devoted to color; opposite that a shadier bed is commanded by Camelias.

40 years ago, the bank was dominated by Acacia trees and bamboo which took 20 years to eradicate. Our first gardens were in England so a lot of trial and error were required to determine what would work on a south-facing bank in California! After 20 years of experimenting, most current plants thrive in spring and fall and survive hot summer months.

A side yard is dedicated to vegetables grown in 5 raised beds. Our backyard is for relaxing, in warm weather in or around our swimming pool. Numerous trees and shrubs provide screening in 2 directions. Another south facing bank, viewable from the pool, is dedicated to color. A deck above the pool is dedicated to more color in a variety of planters. Seeing the variety of colors from the pool is delightful.

Until now, I have never counted our number of trees, shrubs and plants. Excluding vegetables there are roughly 1,000, all irrigated automatically using a system that I can control from anywhere with internet access.

This garden’s estimated size is 3/4 acre.

This Garden Host reports the following Terrain Notes about the garden: Our front yard is accessed via a short slope along our tarmac driveway. The entire front yard is flat with no steps, no obstacles. Our side and back areas of our yard are accessed via a short stairway. Once down the stairway the side and back yards are flat.

2026 Open Day Date: Saturday, April 25

Open Day Hours: 10am–4pm