Surfing the Wave Garden: San Francisco Garden Bloggers Fling
Our last stop before dinner on the 1st day of the San Francisco Garden Bloggers Fling was the aptly named Wave Garden, a Bay-hugging, terraced garden — all curving, terracotta-tinted paths, wavy metalwork, and a cascade of colorful, exotic plants from South Africa, Australia, and other frost-free Mediterranean climates.
Treelessly hugging the hillside so as not to obstruct the million-dollar view of the Golden Gate Bridge (pictured here as we got off the bus) and the Bay Bridge, the garden occupies a steeply sloping lot purchased by the owners to prevent another house being built on the site.
Concrete artist Victor Amador poured the peach-toned, eddying walks and walls, blacksmith Bobby Sharpe crafted the wave-inspired railings, and Kellee Adams of Dig-It Landscape Design designed and planted the garden to be low-water, low-profile, and colorful all year. It’s a stunning space, open to the blue sky above and the blue water in the distance, tiered with softly molded walls and paths.
They draw you in and lead you up — to be dazzled by the plants crowding against and spilling over the walls.
This blue sculpture represents a whale’s tail, continuing the ocean theme. It offers a pleasing angularity amid soft, tumbling plants.
A small patio offers a spot to sit and admire the view. Golden foliage all around must really brighten the space when the fog rolls in. On this unseasonably hot day, the chartreuse leaves seemed almost to vibrate.
A glimpse of bowed railing supports above…
…and wavy metalwork along the garden’s edge.
Echeveria lilacina, or ghost echeveria. The designer was on hand and explained that all the concrete adds a certain amount of heat. Some plants have proven better adapted to it than others, and the editing process — as with all gardens — continues, with replacement of poor performers and thinning of overly vigorous species.
Echeveria agavoides, commonly known as red edge agave
Tawny grasses sparkled above Dr. Seussian red flowers…
…and red leaves.
Autumn color in summertime
Some of these plants seemed downright prehistoric.
Others were more familiar, like Verbena bonariensis.
A wide view shows a masterful use of form and color, with the peach path leading you on.
Green and multicolored aeoniums hugged the tops of the walls, offering their flower-like faces for close inspection.
‘Schwarzkopf’ aeonium
A lime-green one with rosy margins
A bear sculpture seems less on-theme, but, hey, it is California, where a grizzly bear graces the state flag.
The owners’ home overlooks the garden as it faces out toward the bay. Several other houses overlook the space too, and their owners must be very pleased to enjoy views of such a garden rather than the back or side of another house. Generously, the owners even allow the public to visit their garden, asking only that the neighbors’ privacy and space be respected.
Up next: A photo workshop with professional photographer Saxon Holt at San Francisco Botanical Garden. For a look back at our visit to the colorful nursery Annie’s Annuals & Perennials, click here.
All material © 2006-2013 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
You’ve captured this garden really well. I’m sorry to say that at the time I didn’t enjoy this garden as much as I could have. I was hot and miserable and uncomfortable and tired, the sunlight was blinding, and the heat coming off that concrete was too much for me to bear. I’m a weather wimp, I love my cool Seattle summers.
It was awfully hot that day. I can understand why a cool-summer gardener would have been looking for shade. As I recall, I was pretty red-faced and sweaty for parts of the Fling myself. —Pam
I bet you were cooking in all that sun. It is no wonder they have all of those succulents. It is amazing how some of those seemingly delicate flowers, especially that red frilly one, is tough enough to thrive there. A beautiful place.
It certainly was beautiful, and the weather while we visited was atypical. I think generally, even with the concrete, this is a quite temperate garden thanks to the coastal location. —Pam
I am amazed at the number of plants they grow in California that I do not recognize. Do you think most of them are imports and not native?
I gave up trying to ID unknown plants out there, Michael. But yes, in this garden I did get the impression that most were exotics from Mediterranean climates around the world. I think many California natives, like many Texas natives, are not structural plants and go dormant in summer. This garden is all about year-round color and structure. But I could be mistaken — there’s a lot I don’t know about the plants that people use in S.F. —Pam
I’m amazed too at all the plants I don’t recognize. But very glad to be touring this garden in comfort – I would have melted in that heat! Pam, I love this phrase you used- “offering their flower-like faces for close inspection.”
Nice!
I’m glad you enjoyed the tour, Lost Roses! —Pam
I’m like Alison I didnt enjoy the garden as much as I should as I was so hot. Your photos show me all the things I missed. I did however love the planting and I thought the combination of plants was very clever – the chatreuse green with the purple and also some huge Aeonium schwarzkopf with grasses which is a look I would love to emmulate if only I could grow Aeoniums outside
Ah, me too, Helen — I’d love to be able to grow Aeoniums in my garden. Well, I do actually have a potted one outside right now, and if it survives our summer heat I’ll be bringing it indoors during our occasional winter freezes. —Pam
Beautiful garden features and tough plants. It must be really lovely in early morning and late afternoon and in the winter. The owners can enjoy it at those times, but not intrepid visiting garden bloggers.
Well, it’s open to the public, so really intrepid garden bloggers could conceivably visit at other times, Cindy. 😉 —Pam
Fab photos! Remarkable garden in many ways…your blog is the first that makes me want to visit.
Oh good! I’m glad my post conveyed my excitement about this garden. It was lovely and quite different. —Pam
You really captured the essence on this garden, Pam! I was surprised I liked it as much as I did…the idea of all that concrete sounded so sterile when we were reading about it. Of course, once you are “In” in the garden it was wonderful, I loved that slight feeling of disorientation created by all the curving, intersecting paths and different levels…and they created so many vantage points…really gorgeous. Buy yes…TOO HOT! 😉
You are right — there was a feeling of disorientation in that garden, and that was half the fun — trying to figure out where you’d end up as you followed those curvy paths. —Pam
among your unknowns – the ‘autumn’ coloured flower heads, and the prehistoric cones – are Leucadendrons from the protea family. Dr Seuss flowers are pincushion proteas.
Thanks so much for the IDs, Diana. —Pam
I wish we had had more time in the Wave Garden. What a delightful garden with so much eye candy. Yes, the chartreuse colors did seem to vibrate…as well as that bed of Red-edged agave…that had movement.