Residential Gardens

Here are some examples of gardens we’ve designed and created for residents here in San Francisco.

Gigi Trabant’s Garden - Before and After -

(L-R) What was once just a lawn with a border of common ornamentals and a small strip devoted to vegetables…

(L) Becomes an inviting space complete with an herb spiral and ‘Salad Bar’ (R) The old vegetable row has been reinvigorated, terraced, and brought out to allow room for tomatoes, eggplant, squash, sunflowers, basil, and more.

Denise and Sky Orun’s Garden - Before and After

(L) Here is what one side of the backyard looked like before hand. All the shrubs, and vines that we cleared, we used to create a berm for Denise’s child care children to play on. (R) Tori, Denise, and Sky and other volunteers after clearing out the last of the ivy and other vegetation. We will re-use this vegetation to construct the berm, which will keep the nitrogen on the site by allowing it to breakdown in the berm.

(L) Jerome Mace, volunteering his time, getting started on the first of two planter boxes. (R)The finished product, a hand crafted redwood (not old growth of course) planter box in front of two newly planted plum trees. Redwood or cedar are a must for outdoor planter boxes made of wood. They will last years longer than Douglas Fir or Pine, but another alternative would be stacked stone or urbanite.

(L) One month later, the berm is holding its shape nicely, and the Dwarf Bamboo Fescue grass which is low water and low maintenance is growing in nicely. You can’t see it very well, but on the top of the berm we have California Sagebrush, Buttercup, and Sticky Monkeyflower growing. (R) Healthy organic veggies soon to come. We have a toppling bounty of sweet peas, along with some chard and herbs in the first planter box, and in the back we have bush beans, and brassica’s like Kale, Cauliflower, Broccoli and Cabbage growing. Sally and Roger Bland’s Garden - Before and After -

Sam and Sally Bland talking about the possibilities before the Garden Party.

(L) Sally and Sam in her backyard, before the Garden Party. (R) Roger and his son Michael, hauled over 2 tons of green basalt rock to build the veggie bed wall and herb spiral.

(L) Michael, Fiamma, Suzanne, and Sam sorting the sharp rocks from a pile of wetted clay to be used to make a cob mortar for the rock wall. In the background, Davin and James are selecting and placing the best rocks to construct the wall. (R) The beginning, and basically the layout, of an herb spiral.

(L) And here’s Fiamma, one of our interns who creates our brochures and posters, putting some finishing touches on the herb spiral. (R) And one of Sally’s dog’s helped us do some digging as well.

(L) The work of the community. (R) Together we transformed this space from a typical backyard into a space for food, serenity, wildlife, and growth.

(L) The beautiful herb spiral is filling in nicely. You can see cilantro, garden sorrel, bergamont, chamomile, creeping thyme, rosemary, and San Francisco’s native super herb - Yerba Buena.
(R) Here at Sally’s, one month later. You can see the edible pansy’s, and violas, weaved among the brassicas and beans and peas.