Another garden that we saw in San Francisco during the Fling was the Organic Mechanics Garden, located right in the downtown core of the city. In fact, when our bus pulled up in front of an apartment building, and we were led into the building and down a flight of stairs and around corners, I'm sure we were all wondering what on earth was going on. Finally, at the end of the hallway, we got a glimpse of green, through a mysterious doorway that looked like it led to another universe. At some point during the time we were visiting this garden, we probably all ventured back into that corridor to get this shot:
Or this one:
Below is a description of the garden by Organic Mechanics:
"Sean Stout and James Pettigrew are the creative force behind
Organic Mechanics, a garden design, build and maintenance firm. They are
experts at creating sustainable artistic habitats. Their own garden, nestled on the edge of the
Tenderloin in downtown San Francisco, reflects the funky urban aesthetic of its
surroundings, while at the same time being an amazing habitat. Visiting
creatures include: mourning doves, Monarch and Tiger Swallow butterflies,
robins, song finches, swallows and warring humming-birds to name a few. A hawk
frequently visits to eat a pigeon on its favorite branch then bathes in our
mosaic pond. One day the world’s smallest butterfly, a rare Pygmy Mission Blue,
visited the garden. The plantings are lush and varied.
While many plants were
orphaned, the garden includes many rare and unusual plants. Some of these are
weeping Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens ‘Loma Prieta’), Peyote (Laphorphora
williamsii), a Manzanita native to San Francisco (Arctostaphylos franciscana) Shamanic sage (Salvia divinorum),
a weeping broom that smells like grape cool-aid (Psoralea fleta), and my
favorite California native Wooly Blue Curls (Tricostema lanatum). The garden is
designed for people to enjoy as well. Special features include stone and mosaic
paths (created from recycled materials), many seating nooks and unique garden
art. An old wall dog sign on a brick wall says “Owl cigars 2 cents” painted
over by “Owl Cigars now 5 cents.” Visitors are sure to fall under the spell of
this urban garden’s magical charms."
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| Just inside the door is a massive Bougainvillea trained into a standard form |
This was another cool garden that made good use of found objects as both decor and as plant containers.
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| Who knows where this piece of cement pipe embedded in a chunk of concrete came from? But it makes a cool container for a Callibrachoa. |
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| I loved these terra cotta clay pipes, each holding a succulent. |
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| There was a beautiful yellow rose blooming in the garden |
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| I got a kick out of this face made out of found objects. |
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| An interesting collection of cacti, which thrive in the San Francisco climate. |
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| At various spots around the garden were hanging lanterns and other objects like this one, with Spanish moss attached that the birds steal for their nests. |
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| Great re-use of an old, ornate wooden mantel |
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| An eclectic pathway |
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| An old toolbox re-used as a container for a variety of succulents |
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| Cattails made of rebar and nuts and bolts |
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| The garden had a resident parrot named Simon, who talked and sang. |
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| Many of us ventured up onto the roof to view the garden from above. |
For information about the garden design firm Organic Mechanics, click
here.
