MUG | Mike's Urban Garden | MUG

Producing Floriferous Gardens in San Francisco’s Mediterranean Climate.

February 12, 2025

Flowers of February

February 07, 2025

Book Review - Shrouded in Light

By Kevin Philip Williams & Michael Guidi

For the last few months I have been systematically reading my library of garden books. With my morning cup of coffee I read front cover to back the many gardening books I have collected.

Mike the Gardener

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.

Mike's San Francisco Gardens

Mission (19) Glen Park (17) Noe Valley (16) Eureka Valley (11) Potrero Hill (11) Marina (10) Bernal Hill (9) 375 (8) Inner Richmond (3) Saint Francis Wood (3) Alamo Heights (2) Laural Heights (2) Pacific Heights (2)

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Gardening San Francisco Neighborhoods since 2003

Mike's Process & Technique

Plant Palette (33) Design Inspirations (25) MUG Monthly Maintenance (24) MUG Design (21) MUG Weekly Maintenance (21) Dearborn Community Garden (20) Garden Technique (9) MUG Quarterly Maintenance (8) White Garden (8) Deck Container Planting (6) Plant Profile (5) MUG Design Consultation (1)

Gardens by Name or Region

#MikeAndFranksGardenTour (12) Beth Chatto (5) Biddulph (3) Blenheim (2) Borde Hill (3) Botanical Garden (3) Bridgewater (2) Broughton Grange (4) California (17) Chanticleer (2) Chatsworth (2) Chelsea Flower Show (4) Cotswolds (32) Dearborn Community Garden (20) East Anglia (10) East Coast US Garden Tour (6) East Lambrook Manor (5) East Ruston Old Vicarage (3) English Garden (1) Garden Blogger's Fling (17) Gravetye (3) Great Dixter (6) Harlow Carr (2) Hestercombe (5) Hidcote Manor (7) Hyde Hall (3) Iford Manor (2) Kiftsgate (6) Levens Hall (2) London Gardens (13) Longwood (2) Midlands (20) Montisfont (2) Netherlands (5) Northern England (20) Nursery Tour (16) Nymans (2) PanGlobalPlants (2) RHS (10) Rodmarton Manor (5) Rosemoor (1) Rousham (5) Ruth Bancroft (4) Salesforce Transit Park (2) San Francisco (21) Sheffield-Grey to Green. (2) Sissinghurst (5) South Eastern England (29) South Western England (22) Special Plants (5) Stourhead (3) Studley Royal (2) The Courts (2) The Garden of Pooled Talents (2) Trentham (5) Wales (3) Waterperry (1) Wisley (2) Wollerton Old Hall (3)

Mike & Frank’s (M&F) English Garden Tours

2012 English Garden Tour
2014 English Garden Tour
2016 Dutch & English Garden Tour
2019 Scottish & English Garden Tour
2022 English Garden Tour
2023 English Garden Tour
2024 English Garden Tour

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The Dry Garden

The Seasons of Mike's Gardens

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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...
Rosa 'Queen of Sweden'

This lovely, so lovely pink rose with matte glaucus leaves is just starting it's first flush of 2018. Along with Wisteria, Santa Barba...
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 ...
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...
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...
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 ...
Mike & Frank's Quintessential English Garden Tour

This is it. Frank and I have been planning this trip for 2 years. We're hosting a small group to a journey through the development o...
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...
Hollywood Juniper Hedge

Along with Pittosporum 'Golf Ball', Sesleria autumnalis, Achillea millefolium 'Paprika' and the Calla Lily.

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February 12, 2025

Flowers of February

February 07, 2025

Book Review - Shrouded in Light

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