MUG - Mike's Urban Garden

Producing Floriferous Gardens in San Francisco’s Mediterranean Climate.

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Search my blog posts, for say a plant name, garden or place,...

May 08, 2011

Noe Valley Vegetable Garden & Lawn

This is an installation I did in Noe Valley. The positive side of not having a view is having a flat garden. A rarity in San Francisco and in my opinion a real asset.

Butia capitata

Agonis flexuosa 'Jervis Bay After Dark'

Written by Michael Collins

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Labels: May, MUG Design, MUG Induction, Noe Valley

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Sowing for Spring

Sowing Seeds for This Fall

Gardening San Francisco Neighborhoods since 2003

MUG's Neighborhoods

Mission (21) Noe Valley (19) San Francisco (16) Glen Park (14) Eureka Valley (11) Marina (8) Potrero Hill (8) Bernal Hill (7) Inner Richmond (7) Alamo Heights (4) Laural Heights (3) Pacific Heights (2) Saint Francis Wood (2) Buena Vista (1) Nob Hill (1)

Mike's Urban Garden Services

Mike the Gardener

Riding Trams. My favorite thing to do...

Mike's Bio

My career as a maintenance garden designer takes the longer term to create an invigorating natural piece of art.

At the age of 5 my introduction to nature was the scent of our neighbor's Trachelospermum. At 10, I took over primary care of my families suburban plot. My formal education includes a BS in Civil Engineering from UT in Austin, numerous horticulture classes from City College San Francisco, Botanical gardens and plant societies. I have been offering professional maintenance, design and installation services in San Francisco since 2003.

I traveled to England specifically to see their gardens in 2012, 2014, 2015 and currently planning a trip for August 2016. I have visited over 100 public and a few private gardens in England along with numerous nurseries and public spaces. In 2013 I studied The History of English Gardens via an online course through Oxford University.

Since 2014, I have partnered with Frank Eddy of Neo-American Gardens offering bespoke tours of English gardens.

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Mike's Urban Garden Services

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See My SF Gardens

Design Inspirations (30) MUG Induction (29) MUG Design (19) MUG Weekly Maintenance (19) MUG Monthly Maintenance (17) Dearborn Community Garden (15) MUG Quarterly Maintenance (14) Garden Technique (9) Deck Container Planting (8) MUG Design Consultation (1)

More Local Gardeners

Dean Ouellette
John Lakian
Frank Eddy
Gabrielle Cameron

Travels

#MikeAndFranksGardenTour (30) 2014 English Garden Tour (9) 2016 English Garden Tour (7) California (16) Cornwall and Devon Gardens (3) English Garden Tour 2012 (26) Garden History (8) Garden Tour (27) Gloucestershire Gardens (6) Kent and Sussex Gardens (8) London Gardens (4) Norfolk (3) Nursery Tour (8) Oxfordshire (3) San Francisco (16) Somerset Gardens (5) Suffolk and Essex Gardens (2) Surrey Gardens (3) Travel (28) Wiltshire Gardens (2) Yorkshire Gardens (1)

Plant and Seed Suppliers:

Annie's Annuals & Perennials
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Bay Natives Nursery
California Flora Nursery
Devil's Mt Nusery - Wholesale
Digging Dog Nursery
Emerisa Gardens
Geraniaceae
Pac NW Nurseries
San Marcos Growers
Schreiner's Iris Gardens
Special Plants Nursery
Swan Island Dahlias
The Dry Garden

Instagram

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Find me on Instagram as mikes_urban_garden

The Seasons of My Gardens

May (35)
April (22)
June (19)
September (13)
August (11)
July (10)
February (6)
October (4)
November (2)

All Time MUG Favorites

Potrero Hill Entry Garden

The goal of this garden is to have an ever constant flora display, twelve months a year. It is a challenge at times but the lady of the hou...
Noe Valley Terraced Garden

I have been taking care of this garden for a couple years now. I am not sure who designed it or built it. I come here on a monthly schedule...
Bonsai Root Pruning

Pruning the roots of this Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) specimen. First tease out the roots with a hook and trim as you go ...
Mike & Frank's Quintessential English Garden Tour

Click here for our 2016 English Garden Tour This is it. Frank and I have been planning this trip for 2 years. We're hosting a small...
Richmond Kitchen Deck Garden

MUG Design: Ginkgos, Cedars, Podocarpus, Maples and Jasmine all in large containers; A mix of large asian ceramics and square slate fibergla...
Arts & Crafts Front Entry Garden - One Year Maintenance Visit

One year after planting, today I detailed this garden: staking, weeding, shearing and deadheading. This is my first garden design to incorp...
Beth Chatto's Garden

Beth's garden is known for it's dry and wet section. She describes it as "poor gravel soil and boggy hollows." The English...
Kew Botanical Garden - London
Sissinghurst Castle Garden

The second garden on our tour was the impeccable Sissinghurst Castle Garden in Kent. This garden is one of the best, if not the best garden ...
Dearborn Community Garden - An Urban Vegetable Plot

I have shared this 12' x 8' plot with my friend and colleague for a couple of seasons now. We sowed a few interesting new plants f...

Blog Archive

► 2018 (55)
- ► November 2018 (1)
- ► October 2018 (3)
- ► September 2018 (2)
- ► August 2018 (7)
- ► July 2018 (5)
- ► June 2018 (3)
- ► May 2018 (12)
- ► April 2018 (14)
- ► March 2018 (5)
- ► February 2018 (3)

► 2017 (22)
- ► December 2017 (1)
- ► November 2017 (2)
- ► October 2017 (1)
- ► September 2017 (2)
- ► August 2017 (1)
- ► July 2017 (2)
- ► June 2017 (3)
- ► May 2017 (4)
- ► April 2017 (5)
- ► March 2017 (1)

► 2016 (22)
- ► November 2016 (1)
- ► September 2016 (3)
- ► August 2016 (3)
- ► July 2016 (2)
- ► June 2016 (2)
- ► May 2016 (7)
- ► April 2016 (2)
- ► February 2016 (2)

► 2015 (16)
- ► October 2015 (4)
- ► September 2015 (3)
- ► July 2015 (1)
- ► June 2015 (3)
- ► May 2015 (2)
- ► March 2015 (1)
- ► February 2015 (1)
- ► January 2015 (1)

► 2014 (32)
- ► October 2014 (1)
- ► August 2014 (3)
- ► July 2014 (6)
- ► June 2014 (2)
- ► May 2014 (6)
- ► April 2014 (5)
- ► March 2014 (4)
- ► February 2014 (5)

► 2013 (16)
- ► November 2013 (1)
- ► October 2013 (3)
- ► September 2013 (1)
- ► August 2013 (2)
- ► July 2013 (2)
- ► June 2013 (2)
- ► May 2013 (2)
- ► April 2013 (3)

► 2012 (38)
- ► October 2012 (1)
- ► September 2012 (5)
- ► August 2012 (1)
- ► July 2012 (2)
- ► June 2012 (15)
- ► May 2012 (11)
- ► February 2012 (3)

▼ 2011 (10)
- ► September 2011 (1)
- ► June 2011 (4)
- ▼ May 2011 (2)
  - Noe Valley Vegetable Garden & Lawn
  - The Botanical Garden of San Francisco at Strybling...
- ► April 2011 (2)
- ► March 2011 (1)

► 2010 (8)
- ► June 2010 (1)
- ► May 2010 (1)
- ► April 2010 (1)
- ► March 2010 (2)
- ► February 2010 (3)

► 2009 (6)
- ► September 2009 (1)
- ► August 2009 (1)
- ► July 2009 (1)
- ► May 2009 (1)
- ► April 2009 (2)

► 2008 (6)
- ► July 2008 (1)
- ► June 2008 (1)
- ► April 2008 (1)
- ► March 2008 (2)
- ► January 2008 (1)

► 2007 (4)
- ► September 2007 (1)
- ► April 2007 (1)
- ► March 2007 (2)

Interesting Garden Writers

Timber Press Talks

An interview with Françoise Weeks of The Herbal Recipe Keeper - “Good mechanics are always the base of a well done design, whether they are small or large.” —Françoise Weeks You are renowned for your whimsical floral ar...
9 hours ago
The Outlaw Gardener

Everblooming Winter Flowers - On Saturday, I had the pleasure of helping a group of folks grow a different kind of flowers. The class participants were so much fun that the time flew ...
15 hours ago
Close to Home

Almanac for Wednesday, January 16, 2019 updated - The pink bracts of this glossy abelia look like little bunches of flowers. Too hesitant to walk out to the street in the rain to get the mail, raindrops...
1 day ago
Digging

Unusual black deer in my neighborhood - January 16, 2019Have you ever seen a black deer? Here in my Northwest Hills neighborhood in Austin, I’ll see one from time to time, adults and fawns. I p...
1 day ago
Market Street Railway

10-Year Profile Picture Challenge - Posting old and current profile photos side by side has been the rage on Facebook of late, so we thought we’d post our own…just one of dozens of comparis...
1 day ago
California Weather Blog

Wet and stormy week ahead for all of California; Dipole pattern to follow - Recent active weather has boosted seasonal precipitation totals Despite a relatively dry start to winter across most of the state, recent precipitation has...
4 days ago
Lopez Island Kitchen Gardens

What I’m planting in 2019 - Last January, I published a blog post titled “What I’m planting in 2018.” Using a table format, I listed all the seeds I planned to plant in 2018, some br...
5 days ago
Pettifers Garden Blog

9th January, 2019″¡j - We have just got back from four nights in Cambridge. What bliss, no queueing, no airports, arriving feeling fresh and energetic, and what a beautiful city ...
1 week ago
The Enduring Gardener

Goodbye 2018 - Posting my ‘Top Nine of 2018’ in Instagram, it was interesting to see that the most ‘liked’ images were all local – some from my own garden, but also from ...
1 week ago
Rhone Street Gardens

Seedhead Sunday - Jan. 6, 2019 - It's the season when seedheads offer a huge amount of beauty to the garden...and one plant with invaluable seedheads, both aesthetically...and for birds l...
1 week ago
GardenBook

Sunday Morning before the Rain-Succulent Gardens Nursery - The weather forecast for my weekend in Santa Cruz last month was not ideal, and I spent a great deal of time looking at the sky and consulting the Nationa...
1 week ago
MySecretGarden

Front Plant Bed at Its Best in 2018 - I'd like to share the views of my Front Plant Bed that I think was in its best shape ever last gardening season. And, I know exactly what gave this plant b...
1 week ago
BARROW WORKS

Winter Stillness - On a weirdly warm New Year's Day, there's a stillness over the garden. No loud colors, no scent, just simple shapes, the slanting light, and lots of tan ...
2 weeks ago
Higgledy Garden

A Cut Flower Patch From Scratch. - It’s the time of year when a chap’s mind starts to wriggle it’s merry way from thoughts of woody ale and crumpets, to the equally serious business of plann...
2 weeks ago
form and foliage

Winter Wonderland – California Style - Garden winter interest isn't difficult to achieve with a focus on foliage plants Continue reading →
2 weeks ago
Golden Gate Gardener

Tools to Spare Your Wrists--Garden Ergonomics - Two Tools to Spare Your Wrists The neutral, natural position for your wrist is unbent, as it is when your hands are hanging at your sides. When you bend yo...
3 weeks ago
the garden - Blog Kasi & Andrew Bellingham

Zainspirujcie się naturalnymi ozdobami na Boże Narodzenie ... - Witam serdecznie i już bardzo świątecznie. Nie wiem jak to się dzieje, że ostatnio na moim blogu same wianki! Ale to może dla tego, że ten materiał jest...
4 weeks ago
Growing with plants

Sneak Peek - My first gardening book is published - Pre-orders are welcome! - My first book - Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening launches on Jan. 1 with pre-orders started already on Amazon looking good. Thanks to all of you w...
5 weeks ago
The Garden Visitor

Portland Japanese Garden – A World Renowned Masterpiece - It may seem strange that a middle-sized American city has what is widely acclaimed to be the finest Japanese garden in the United States but also conside...
1 month ago
The Galloping Gardener

Winter gardens to remember - Sir Harold Hillier Garden, Hampshire - Interesting winter gardens are hard to find at this time of year, but the Sir Harold Hillier Garden near Romsey in Hampshire is an exception. And, if you ...
2 months ago
LA DOLCE VITA

Nicole de Vésian: The Garden of La Louve - After working in the Parisian design industry for most of her adult life, Nicole de Vésian retired to Provence in 1986. She chose to live in Bonnieux, ...
6 months ago
Great Dixter Vegetable Garden

Egg - I have always hated pigeons because of what they eat in the vegetable garden. We had one in the fruit cage on the weekend which I could not get out so gave...
6 months ago
Fennel and Fern

Podcast: Men who stare at orchids - Indulge your orchid obsession with our latest podcast.
6 months ago
John Grimshaw's Garden Diary

Plant of the Year 2017: Narcissus 'Thalia' - *Narcissus* 'Thalia'In selecting plants of the year my usual thought has been to nominate something that gives a long season of interest, but this year I...
1 year ago
Floradora

Noerenberg Memorial Gardens - Noerenberg Memorial Gardens, formerly a private family estate, was created after a tragic loss. After losing their daughter, the Noerenberg family demolish...
1 year ago
SISSINGHURST

A New Film from Sissinghurst - Film making is a slow process but here, at last, is our second Sissinghurst film. This time it’s about the wonderful collection of irises we have in the ga...
1 year ago