Garden Travel: Downtown San Francisco pocket gardens November 6th, 2016

Creating oasis among concrete
Calm amongst chaos
Habitat amongst housing

Back in June, I took advantage of the Garden Conservancy’s Open Garden day and spent the day in San Francisco. .   The Garden Conservancy is an organization that saves and share gardens throughout the nation. Each year they open hundreds of private gardens to visitors as a fundraiser for the organization.  https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days  This Open Day  was probably a rare time that all the gardens on the Open Days for the location were within walking distance of BART.  The 3 gardens open were tiny spaces between buildings that were transformed from dark dank space to lush oasis’s.  They were all within or on the edge of the Tenderloin- not necessarily the best part of town which made them all that more special.

Mark Twain Hotel’s hummingbird garden

The garden is a zen space that business travelers staying at the hotel can get away from the hustle and bustle. More Asian style with organic flair.  It can’t be much larger than 10’x 35’ but it is full of habitat plants and all the hardscape is made with reclaimed materials such as recycled wood for a snaking boardwalk, left over marble and stone  from stone mason  of a local cemetery for landing areas and seating as well as a central fountain,as well as recycled metal pieces embedded within the garden. Tall buildings border all 4 sides but this “artistic habitat” has trees as well as vines being strung across the space on  lighting wire to bring the green vertical but yet horizontal.

The
Tenderloin National Forest

“Urban blight is interrupted by bucolic splendor on one of the Tenderloin’s grittiest blocks. “ This is a true community garden. A space that was once a dangerous alley for garbage and drug users has been transformed by an artist collective with trees, pond and urban art along the walls and throughout the garden. It is a gathering place for those in the community.

Geary Secret Garden

Tucked in behind two historic buildings of the theater district from the early twentieth century lies a secret garden that the lucky residents of these building get to look down on and enjoy.  Double the size of the other two gardens put together it is full of trees  and plants creating a sanctuary for birds as well as people . It is designed to be enjoyed from within but also from above in the residences. Wonderful use of trees both for privacy as well as attracting and sheltering birds and perennials as well as use of reclaimed materials for fountains, sculptures as well as some of the patio space. The only access to the garden is through the basement of the building. It is a lush urban habitat for birds of all sorts, frogs, butterflies etc. It was also a collectors garden as it had many unique specimens of plants

While I was in town I decided to search out some other gardens in the area

Boedekker park

A family park in the heart of the Tenderloin. A coordinated effort between the Parks for People project and the Trust for public land to bring a gathering/ recreation space  to the densest population within San Francisco of people living below the poverty line.  The recreation space includes both in a new sustainable building for classes and basketball courts and play equipment.  It also includes drought tolerant plantings. It was a clean well used space which was refreshing since I see parks in suburban areas that never seem to have kids in them.

A whole new world

Moving south of market you come to a whole different world

Yerba Buena Gardens while not a true pocket garden over all it has several pockets each having a sense all their own. Juxtaposition of green space amid high rises, history amid market.  The Metreon had an intricate portable succulent vertical garden.

Pockets of perennials beds along the café and a cluster bed of large Japanese Maples.

POPUS  Privately owned public open spaces

These are green spaces between the highrise office buildings. Since I was there on a Saturday they were not in much use and in some cases closed, but they were a welcome respite amongst all the concrete and glass. I only hit a few just along Mission but there are many POPUS throughout the city. See https://www.spur.org/sites/default/files/migrated/anchors/popos-guide.pdf  for a guide

• 555 mission alley with fern covered exterior living walls and interesting sculptures.

• 100 first St on mission “sun terrace” between building and garage comfortable green space ” roof ” garden up 4 flights of steps. This was a really cool place that I could see enjoying if I worked downtown.

• 505 Howard (@first)
  Amazing interior vertical living walls plant with pothos, orchids, ficus and ferns in swaths cialis prix of color. Luckily you can see most of it from out side because the building is only open m-f during business hours.

• 50 Beale St – has rows of square planters  with a sincel large Japanese Maple and filled with annual color.  These planter boxes surrounded a rail car representative of one used by the Bechtel family.

At the end of the day despite tired feet I felt like I had seen a perspective of San Francisco that I had not seen before. I live not too far away but never made an effort to visit. I might make more of an effort  to discover more of these pocket gems in and amongst the concrete and glass.