Dolores Street Hell-Strip

This sidewalk hell-strip garden has a harsh southern exposure surrounded by concrete and asphalt.   It is irrigated in the summer dry months.   I have been replacing those plants which couldn't take the exposure like a mop head hydrangea, I do not lie, with Mediterranean and California native plants and cultivars.

This is a year in review post and these most recent photos were taken the first week of July, 2024.

Spring Bulbs in San Francisco

 

Narcissus 'Minnow' in Eureka Valley

Planting a Small Garden Tightly

This garden has three different faces or attitudes and all packed into a small 10 x 20 foot space.   The five round Pittosporum 'Golf Ball' really hold the mess together and help differentiate the three views.

Arts and Crafts Garden

I planted this garden in 2013.  I was going for a cottage garden that would be equitable to the architecture.   I've been back regularly 2 or 3 times a year.  Today I sheared the pittosporums globes, weeded and added a few new recruits.  We'll see who survives.

Noe Valley Cottage Garden 3 or 4th year.

Today I passed by a garden I created 3 of 4 years ago. I stopped to see how it faired this very rainy winter for us. That's not a Halloween prop but a clump of miscanthus boldly plant next to the generously wide steps to the front door of this Arts and Crafts inspired building and garden.   Numerous gardens we saw in England inspired this planting.  Great Dixter keeps coming to mind.  I do stake it and bind the grass clump into a column tied off with twine.  

Planted tightly with perennials and grass-like plants grounded with five balls of clipped pittosporum.   The front door is framed with sentinel thujas in large terra cotta containers. And three clumps of choisya ternata including a pair of mock oranges in terra containers flanking the front door.

Nader's Garden Noe Valley

Nader's Garden, 210-3pm:

The elegant and masculine city garden of Nader Meykedah. A personal garden designed equally for living and enjoying from the deck. The living structural elements frame an abundance of greens and flowers. The garden is shared by Nader's adorable dogs, Paris and Coco.

Retarding a Vigorous Street Tree

Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia) grows to 10–18 m tall and 15–20 m wide in ideal conditions. It's tough being a street tree but U. parvifolia is vigorous and resilient in San Francisco. This one in Noe Valley must have a low water table. It is never irrigated but is lush. I prune this tree ever 6-9 months. Essentially this is a extremely large bonsia. The soil in the tree basins act more like large containers then expanses of live soil.

Ready for a trim. After 5 hours of pruning and two dump runs:

Noe Valley Garden

Last week I was invite over to my friend Nader's house for dinner and drinks. I arrived late due to confusion on my part but it was perfect lighting to view the garden. Nader's garden is always impeccable and constantly evolving. It's been well over a year since I been here and the first thing I noticed was the red. Nader doesn't do red so I was shocked. Is he ok?

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 incorporate those plants and ideas from my trip to England in 2012. This small front bed was a blank slate. The building's Arts & Crafts style is the theme for this planting.

Noe Valley Entry Garden

An Arts & Crafts inspired front entry-way planted in October 2013, ravished by gopher for 3 months, replanted in March. Here's what it looks like eight months after planting.

Achillea millefolium 'Moonshine', Senecio mandraliscae, Pittosporum 'Golf Ball' spheres, Geranium 'Rozanne', Lavandula (English), Erigeron karvinskianus and Verbena bonariensis

Vicksburg Terraced Dry Garden

Gertrude Jekyll and her garden at Hestercombe was my inspiration for this garden design. I picked mostly Mediterranean plants and laid them out in drifts. Silver plants, seed heads, yellow & purple, I wanted lots of hot colors along with the cool lavenders and blues. 

Vicksburg Woodland Garden

If I can pack anymore flowers in here, my client would love me even more.

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.

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.

Eureka Valley ?? Noe Valley ?? Dolores Heights??

Am I tripping or does this look out of place in the middle of San Francisco? So tranquil and fairy tale like. The gates were ajar when we arrived, no joke.  With Sutro Towers in the background you must know it's in the city. It's on top of a hill I don't know the name. It divides Eureka Valley from Noe Valley along 21st Street and Collingwood. Anyone know the name of this hill?

Twin Peaks, Noe Valley, LIberty Hill, Potrero Hill,...

One of those amazing days in San Francisco and I'm fortunate to work in this environment. Twin Peaks with Sutro Tower.