Private Gardens on the 2008 Tour
Veraine Frierson's at 210 Laidley
Christopher Campbell's at 59 Hazelwood Ave
Greg Gaar's at 440 Hazelwood
Jeanne Halpern's at 34 Valletta Court
Randy Zebell's at 2471 15th Ave
Ted Kipping's at 257 Joost Ave
Warner Graves's at 156 Beulah Street
Claudia, Zeke, and Raffy's at 2065 Fulton Street
542 46th Avenue
749 8th Avenue
1943 10th Avenue
717 Lakeview Avenue
Dylan Hayes' at 3544 19th Steet
Greg Gregerson's at 328 Hyde Street #7
Durwards and Ben's at 733 Baker Street
Carol Damm's at 225 Eureka Street
12th and Pacheco Public Garden
Images from 210 Laidley:210 Laidley Street (210 Laidley Street between Miguel & Fairmount - 94131)
click to enlarge
Hosts: TBA
#26 bus (Fairmount), walk one block up steep hill.
The first thing you see is the waterfall, then the ferns and mosses, iris, yarrow - and the amusing minisculptures. As one of the early native plant gardens in San Francisco, begun twenty years ago and gradually enhanced with a few charming non-natives as well, this site offers an extraordinary collection. Huge ceanothus and fremontodendron tumble over the fence from the adjacent right-of way, and as you follow the stone path to the upper level, the red elderberry, pink flowering currant and bunch grasses surprise you. From the top deck, you enjoy bay and downtown views - and plenty of sky.59 Hazelwood (@ Flood Ave. - 94112)
Host: TBA
#43 bus (Valdez); 1/4-mile walk from K streetcar on Ocean
Christopher's garden features a raised hardscape bed made from recycled concrete, oak logs left for insects and salamanders, and a bevy of bunchgrasses and wildflowers, carefully arranged for their aesthetic and structural diversity. Though now undergoing construction impact, the garden is well worth a visit.59 Hazelwood Street:
440 Hazelwood (@ Los Palmos Drive - 94127)
Host: TBA
#43 bus (Valdez); #36 bus (From Forest Hill Station to Mt. Davidson).
Greg Gaar converted this large garden from lawn to a very colorful and attractive garden of San Francisco natives in just under a year and has now grown into a feast for the eyes. For more information on this ambitious undertaking, visit Greg at the HANC Recycling Center. In addition to the 15-step public stairway into the back garden, there is a more accessible walkway to the left with gradual stepping stones.
Images from 34 Valetta:34 Valletta Court (near Malta and O'Shaughnessy - 94131) - Host: Jeanne Halpern, Hanna Regev, David Schooley
photos by Michele Schaal
click to enlarge
#44 bus (Malta), walk one block up Malta and turn right.
This magical cliff garden grew from an ugly thicket of ice plant, jade and broom in 2000 to the grassy meadow, rock garden, native scrub screen and hanging gardens you see today. April blooms include ceonothus, checkerbloom, iris, monkey plant (yellow, white, scarlet), penstemon, poppy, primrose, purple nightshade, sage and snapdragon. Along the dirt trails, some quite steep, stand buckeye, coffeeberry, coyote bush, huckleberry, Islais cherry, lupine, silk tassel, and toyon. All and all, a delight for the senses.2471 15th Ave. (at Ulloa - 94116) - Host: TBA
K and M streetcar (West Portal), walk up hill on Ulloa to 15th Ave.; L streetcar (15th & Ulloa); #28 bus (19th and Taraval), then walk 4 blocks east on Taraval and one block south on 15th.
Featured in Bay Nature magazine (Jan.-Mar.2005), Randy's low-maintenance gardening techniques foster sand-loving natives selected to enhance the garden for birds, butterflies, bees and bugs. You'll find at least ninety native species here - some not seen in other gardens on the tour, such as stinging nettle (for butterfly eggs), wax myrtle, sneeze weed and mustard - plus ocean spray, three varieties of fern, grasses, dogwood and a miniforest of other trees - not to mention the new bird corner and vegetable garden. This is a place where you'll want to take your time and enjoy.
Images from 257 Joost:257 Joost Avenue (between Congo & Baden - 94131) Host: TBA
click to enlarge
23 bus, Monterey (@ Congo, walk one block up hill, turn right)
Your challenge here is to find at least one hundred varieties of native plants woven into this sensuous, eclectic garden of flowers, shrubs, trees, mosses, lichen, water plants, and succulents galore. Ponds and irregular stone paths make this garden hazardous for children, pets and those with balance problems, but a delight for others who enjoy natives and non-natives harmoniously living together. Notice also, the city minipark across Joost Ave. that features handsome natives - and, unfortunately, many weeds.
Images from 156 Beulah:156 Beulah Street (at Stanyan) Host: Warner Graves
click to enlarge
This garden features a variety of California natives beginning at the entrance with ferns, spicebush, rushes, and other shade and moisture loving plants. Crossing a dry stream bed, you'll enter a meadow with native bunchgrasses and wildflowers. Bordering the meadow are several types of manzanita, ceanothus, and other native or decorative shrubs. Most of the structural features of the garden are made from recycled bricks, logs and local rocks taken from construction sites here in SF. This colorful garden delights year round, belying the fact that the majority of the plants are less than four years old.
Images from 2065 Fulton:2065 Fulton Street
click to enlarge
Come enjoy the wild hillside of Lone Mountain. Ten years ago, the tenants fired the gardener and allowed acorns planted by bluejays to grow. They added many dozens of native plants, grasses, shrubs, and trees. Some fluorished, others came and went. It's a large yard with both meadow and hillside. Child-friendly, too. A great example of what happens when nature is allowed to return to the garden. Hosted by Claudia, Zeke, and Raffy.
Images from 542 46th Avenue542 46th Avenue (at Anza)
An historic house in the Outer Richmond originally built by Adolf Sutro for his gardener. This double lot is home to coastal sage scrub and woodland plant communities, as well as a few non-native species. The garden was initially installed by the homeowner in 2001 with plants mostly from Yerba Buena Nursery. Wild Natives was hired in 2006 to clean up the weedy disarray the garden had fallen into and redesign areas that were not working. Ongoing maintenance has been challenged by gopher, skunk, raccoon, sand, fence, and weed issues. This year's garden highlights are the reestablished meadow, newly blooming wildflowers, and a 15' Ceanothus 'Ray Hartman'. The owner of Wild Natives, Julie Swift, will be on site to answer any questions and a plant list will be available with a limited number of copies for visitors to take home.749 8th Avenue (at Fulton)
This garden is a rare find: It's an ehrharta- and oxalis-free dune garden.Plantings of Lupinus chamissonis, manzanita, ceanthous, sagewort, red fescue, seaside daisy, dune knot weed, and beach evening primrose. Significant open sand (another rarity), allows for great recruitment with lots of native plant seedlings coming up everywhere!.1943 10th Avenue (at Ortega)
Sloped garden on former sand dune system of Turtle Hill. No longer a functional dune system there is now a mix of garden ready natives, some native to SF. 50% native. Sustainable Bay-Friendly landscape maintenance service provided by San Francisco Landscapes. Steep stairs, may not be good for people with mobility issues.717 Lakeview Avenue (between Faxon & Capitol)
Hill top, former grassland. Natives mixed through out the garden, %40 native. Habitat garden. Level garden with great views of San Bruno Mt. Sustainable Bay-Friendly landscape maintenance service provided by San Francisco Landscapes. Food production as well.
Images from 3544 19th Street:3544 19th Street (between Guerrero and Valencia)
click to enlarge
With tumble-brick herb spirals, a frog pond, propagation table, and over 30 species of native plants, this garden shows that amazing things can happen in small spaces. Built on the edge of the historic and (long filled) Lake Dolores, the garden has a high water table and contains remnant rushes from the lake. The gardens centerpiece is the pond, whose riparian and wetland native plants provide cover for a dozen chorus (tree) frogs. Gardener: Dylan Hayes328 Hyde Street #7 Host: Gary Gregerson
An oasis in the Tenderloin, this garden is crammed with giant buckwheat, gumplant, flowering mint, aster, goldenrod, blue-eyed grass, potentilla, phacelia, lizard tail, coastal sagebrush, red elderberry, bunchgrasses and more. This garden is a great example of how to provide a sanctuary for birds, pollinators, and other animals in a relatively small space.733 Baker Street Host: Durward and Ben
This wild-looking, young garden owes its existence to the dramatic death of an old rubber tree. The tree, which towered close to the height of our 4-story house, fell in 2005, destroying the existing garden (as well as a fence and a hot tub) but opened the backyard up to a surplus of sunshine. Now organic pathways and biodiverse flowerbeds surround a productive vegetable garden. Our natives take a prominent role around and between the dead roots of the rubber tree where they thrive and attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds throughout the year. Among our most vibrant, healthy additions are the aster, yarrow, grindelia, lizard tail, hummingbird sage, ceanothus, fringe cups, phacelia, elderberry, pink flowering currant, strawberry, yerba buena, sticky monkey flower, buckwheat, california sagebrush, california poppy, and cow parsnip.
Images from 225 Eureka Street225 Eureka Street Host: Carol Damm
click to enlarge
Come see a well-designed, brand new garden of natives installed just one month ago. This front yard features a flagstone walkway, some containers, and mounded planting areas. The plants are primarily chaparral and coastal bluff. They were chosen for their size, color, year-round bloom, and appropriateness to the weather in the Eureka Valley neighborhood. The design includes the use of annuals to fill the spaces as the larger plants grow in.
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Planting Time
It's autumn, time to think about planting California natives and time for our annual plant sale. It reminds us that people have been becoming more and more interested in growing native plants and creating appropriate habitat for our local wildlife. We have chosen April 13th as the date for the 2008 Garden Tour and the time to start planning is NOW!
Past Garden Tours
Thanks to Jeanne Halpern, who did an amazing job as chair in 2006 and provided us with great guidelines for future tours. We also thank Susan Floore and Tom Annese, and the other volunteers who competently coordinated the 2007 tour. And very special appreciation to the six wonderful 2007 hosts, whose gardens and hospitality were the reasons for the day's success — Jeanne Halpern, Veraine Frierson, Ted Kipping, Greg Gaar, Christopher Campbell, and Randy Zebell.
Accomplishing CNPS Goals
Three of the six gardens kept sign-up sheets; around 100 people visited each of these gardens. It turned out that nearly half of the day's visitors were not yet CNPS members. So, it turns out that the Mothers' Day Garden Tour serves three goals: (1) fills the need for native gardening information, (2) fosters chapter membership development, and (3) furthers the mission of CNPS.
- More Private Gardens
Do you have a garden that features native plants? (Don't be put off if your garden includes non-native specimens as well; gardens do not have to be 100% native!) Can you suggest/ recommend private gardens that highlight California natives? Do you know of gardeners or landscape designers who specialize in native gardens? If you or someone you know might be willing to consider opening your garden to other native plant lovers for four hours on one Sunday in May, please share this information with us. One of our knowledgeable folks would be delighted to discuss the pros and cons with you and answer your questions. - Publicity Assistant
Our Publicity Chair, Sharon Kato, does a great job of contacting local news media, but this event is too much for one person. We need a couple of additional helpers to work with her. Major publications like Sunset, Via, and Bay Nature should be notified well before Thanksgiving as to the date of the tour. It would be nice to have someone who could write brief stories that we could make available electronically with photographs as needed to publicize the tour. - Publicity in Your Neighborhood
Could you contact your neighborhood newspaper; distribute posters to local libraries and businesses; post flyers on bulletin boards? - Broader-Based Publicity
Distribute posters, post flyers, etc. to areas or neighborhoods not adopted by residents. Post notices to your web site or email groups, or ask appropriate organizations to publicize our free native plant garden tour. Email posters or articles to friends, personal groups, etc., and ask them to further distribute. - Last-Minute Help
People are needed near the time of the event to take maps, handouts, signs, and other materials to the garden hosts. And, as you know, every project has unexpected needs. These are good jobs for people who can get around town with ease, and have the flexibility to volunteer brief time periods on short notice. - Co-Hosts
On the day of the tour, we need people willing to help co-host at a garden site. No, you don't need to know anything about plants or gardening. You do need to be friendly and welcoming, to ask people to sign the sign-up sheet, to offer maps or other free handouts, and to facilitate guiding guests to the person/people showing the garden. - More Public Gardens
We have learned that it is better to list the public gardens separately from the private gardens because these gardens can also be visited at other times of the year, and because they will generally not be staffed by our volunteers. However, we would like to feature them on a separate map that will be available at the private gardens, as well as year-round on our web site. To that end, any information about additional worthwhile publicly-accessible gardens featuring California native plants would indeed be appreciated. Interested? Respond to Roland or Barbara Pitschel at bpandrp@peoplepc.com or 415-282-5066 (email preferred). We will see that the information gets to the appropriate people. We are hoping to get started on this before November.
Once again this year the CNPS Yerba Buena Chapter will be sponsoring our Mother's Day tour of private native plant gardens in San Francisco. Our generous hosts will be opening their native gardens to the public on Sunday, May 13th from 10AM to 2PM. This is a special chance to see, up-close, wonderful local gardens as well as talk with their owners and care-takers.
This year, all of our private gardens are in the Noe Valley, Glen Park, Sunnyside and Inner Sunset areas - to make walking between gardens as convenient as possible. In addition to private gardens open just for this tour, publicly accessible gardens across the city will also be open and ready for a peak-of-spring visit.
- Free and self-paced
- No registration required
- Visit anytime 10AM-2PM
Private Gardens from the 2007 Tour
Veraine Frierson's at 210 Laidley
Christopher Campbell's at 59 Hazelwood Ave
Greg Gaar's at 440 Hazelwood
Jeanne Halpern's at 34 Valletta Court
Randy Zebell's at 2471 15th Ave
Ted Kipping's at 257 Joost Ave
Images from 210 Laidley:210 Laidley Street (210 Laidley Street between Miguel & Fairmount - 94131)
click to enlarge
Hosts: TBA
#26 bus (Fairmount), walk one block up steep hill.
The first thing you see is the waterfall, then the ferns and mosses, iris, yarrow - and the amusing minisculptures. As one of the early native plant gardens in San Francisco, begun twenty years ago and gradually enhanced with a few charming non-natives as well, this site offers an extraordinary collection. Huge ceanothus and fremontodendron tumble over the fence from the adjacent right-of way, and as you follow the stone path to the upper level, the red elderberry, pink flowering currant and bunch grasses surprise you. From the top deck, you enjoy bay and downtown views - and plenty of sky.59 Hazelwood (@ Flood Ave. - 94112)
Host: TBA
#43 bus (Valdez); 1/4-mile walk from K streetcar on Ocean
Christopher's garden features a raised hardscape bed made from recycled concrete, oak logs left for insects and salamanders, and a bevy of bunchgrasses and wildflowers, carefully arranged for their aesthetic and structural diversity. Though now undergoing construction impact, the garden is well worth a visit.440 Hazelwood (@ Los Palmos Drive - 94127)
Host: TBA
#43 bus (Valdez); #36 bus (From Forest Hill Station to Mt. Davidson).
Greg Gaar converted this large garden from lawn to a very colorful and attractive garden of San Francisco natives in just under a year and has now grown into a feast for the eyes. For more information on this ambitious undertaking, visit Greg at the HANC Recycling Center. In addition to the 15-step public stairway into the back garden, there is a more accessible walkway to the left with gradual stepping stones.
#44 bus (Malta), walk one block up Malta and turn right.
This large cliff garden was a thicket of ice plant, poison oak, jade and broom six years ago but is now filled with oaks, Islais cherry, buckeye, coffee berry, and other shrubs, flowering plants and many grasses. Habitats include a meadow, rock garden, and a small woodland with ferns and other plants happy in the shade.2471 15th Ave. (at Ulloa - 94116) - Host: TBA
K and M streetcar (West Portal), walk up hill on Ulloa to 15th Ave.; L streetcar (15th & Ulloa); #28 bus (19th and Taraval), then walk 4 blocks east on Taraval and one block south on 15th.
Featured in Bay Nature magazine (Jan.-Mar.2005), Randy's low-maintenance gardening techniques foster sand-loving natives selected to enhance the garden for birds, butterflies, bees and bugs. You'll find at least ninety native species here - some not seen in other gardens on the tour, such as stinging nettle (for butterfly eggs), wax myrtle, sneeze weed and mustard - plus ocean spray, three varieties of fern, grasses, dogwood and a miniforest of other trees - not to mention the new bird corner and vegetable garden. This is a place where you'll want to take your time and enjoy.
Images from 257 Joost:257 Joost Avenue (between Congo & Baden - 94131) Host: Ted Kipping
click to enlarge
23 bus, Monterey (@ Congo, walk one block up hill, turn right)
Your challenge here is to find at least fifteen varieties of native plants woven into this sensuous, eclectic garden of flowers, shrubs, trees, mosses, lichen, water plants, and succulents galore. Ponds and irregular stone paths make this garden hazardous for children, pets and those with balance problems, but a delight for others who enjoy natives and non-natives harmoniously living together. Notice also, the city minipark across Joost Ave. that features handsome natives - and, unfortunately, many weeds.