MUG | Mike's Urban Garden | MUG: April 2011

April 27, 2011

Upper Market near Castro

One of my favorite street planting along 16th Street east of Market Street. I pass by here weekly on my way to the farmer's market, bank, coffee shop, bar,... It's so simple and the colors work so well.

April 23, 2011

Mission Area Street Planting

Not far from the Women's Building on 18th Street in the Mission, here's a cute entry garden.

The purple is intense and I'm sure it got one of their neighbor's panties in a tight wad. But it contrast the terra cotta pots and the green of the plants perfectly. I love the hanging watering can and the water stains on the side walk. Great eye for detail.

My path

Garden Fluffer, Personal Gardener, Fine Gardening, Market Gardener these are some of the names I have toyed with as my official title or job description. Most would classify me as a maintenance gardener. But i do things much different than your basic gardening crew. It is all about the process or procedures that I use to make my green spaces.

Simple things, done well. A gardener’s influence on a space is through control. Pruning, thinning, dividing and moving plants around to create an authentic natural look. But this is far from Nature. Step lightly and preen like a large herbivore. Leave all clippings around its source to replenish and shade the soil, creating a good environment for seeds to germinate. Only remove weed seed heads, diseased material and anything sharp like rose thorns, all other green material is made into compost either in a formal pile or as a light mulch. Nothing looks more authentic than a plant mulched with it’s own leaves and twigs. That is my gardening process. Simply well.

This is on top of picking the right plant in the right place. When I am looking to fill a void, no matter if it’s an annual or perennial, tree or shrub, evergreen or deciduous; I start with California and Western US native plants. If nothing fits my requirements (exposure, water, form and floral timing, client preferences) then I look at plants from the other Mediterranean regions of the world.

This blog is my chance to show my work and those things that inspire and influence.

April 27, 2011

Upper Market near Castro

April 23, 2011

Mission Area Street Planting

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