A New Twist On The Secret Garden
The second garden we visited as part of the Garden Bloggers’ Fling was something of a secret garden. Like the garden in the novel by Frances Burnett, this garden is hidden away. Not on an English estate, but rather in an apartment building courtyard in a slightly dicey part of San Francisco. To get there, you have to traipse through corridors and down stairs.
Unlike the fictional garden, this secret garden is joyously quirky and beautifully maintained. It is the garden of James Pettigrew and Sean Stout, proprietors of the garden design firm Organic Mechanics.
This garden is defined in part by the eclectic assortment of found objects displayed throughout.
Vertical space is used to soften the feel of the surrounding apartment walls.
There are water features, of course.
Lots of green in this mostly shady garden, but splashes of color, too.
A gathering place for people, and a retreat for the individual.
A metal gate and wire fence divides the garden into rooms.
There are tranquil scenes that balance the quirkiness.
OK, enough tranquility. Bring on the quirky stuff.
Even a hole in the pavement is an opportunity to exercise some creativity.
Mexican Marigold (Tagetes lucida). I didn’t know there were Marigolds the size of shrubs. The leaves of this plant, which is also called Mexican Tarragon and is used as an herb, have a lemon fragrance.
James Pettigrew and Sean Stout, with feathered friend.
Do you have a favorite enclosed or secret garden?
gardeninacity 
I do :), it’s actually not too far and full of interest on every corner, can be visited too: Jardin La Mothe, it’s a “jardin remarquable” near Villefranche, Aveyron/France. Never tire of it…
Just looked it up, sounds wonderful! We will be in France in September but will not be able to get there, dammit. Someone needs to pay me to travel and visit gardens full time!
Where could we apply for that, I wonder? 😉
A Wonderful garden!
Yes, we really enjoyed it.
Jason, you’ve shown us one more garden, full of ideas, decorations, structures, furniture, etc. Thank you!
Sorry, I have no secret garden but… if I make the high fence around mine, may be..
If you make a high fence it will be harder for the neighbors to enjoy. Not every garden should be secret.
Oh wow, this is something! Beautiful sanctuary!
I agree. We were pretty much blown away.
I wonder how long it took to carry all of that in there. Gardeners are a dedicated bunch.
I think it was carried in over a period of years. Most of the items came from demolished buildings. I have to wonder about that platform for the votive candles …
I love secret gardens…either enclosed or in a forgotten corner of a garden. There is something very magical about such spaces. It is great to see examples of creativity and ingenuity in such spaces.
There was definitely a lot of creativity and ingenuity going on.
Secret gardens are such surprise sanctuaries from the outside world. So happy to get a peek into THIS one!
Glad you enjoyed it!
That is one magical garden…truly a vision of creativity, and making use of what is available. We can all take a few hints from it.
Jen
I know, I want to start hunting down newly demolished buildings to get some found objects.
I love that fireplace mantel–not everyone can pull off so much quirk but I love this one.
Yes, the density of quirk per cubic foot was extremely high, but I really did enjoy it. The quirkiness was fun in part because there was no pretentiousness.
I love that passersby would have no idea that this garden exists. That part of the city is so densely populated and covered with concrete. What a wonderful surprise to see such a creative secret garden. The organizers of the event sure did a great job of showing us a wide variety of gardens. Did you find seeing so many cool plants that aren’t hardy in your area frustrating or was it interesting, kind of like visiting a conservatory? It was sure a pleasure meeting you both!
Great meeting you! I loved this very urban secret garden. I told Jason he had to use the photo of the hole in the crumbling pavement which had been turned to art.
It was a little daunting seeing so many plants we can’t use here. But I am now thinking of buying one for my friend’s garden in Berkeley – those succulents that look like roses.
Mostly all the new plants were just interesting, though I would really love to grow that jasmine and some of the roses that are not hardy here. Great meeting you – looking forward to Portland!
This is wonderful. I loved The Secret Garden book, and I love that you took us on a tour of a secret garden.
So glad you enjoyed it! The book is certainly a classic.
Nifty! I really like the water features and succulent containers. Lots of great ideas there!
These designers were supremely creative.
That hole in the pavement is genius!!! Seriously! And the use of metal in their art pieces really fit this space…that gate is spectacular too! So very lovely!
The hole in the pavement was a huge hit with the people visiting.
What an wonderful space; I love the eclectic nature, and the inclusion of funky art. You have found a special spot full of treasures.
Well, it was found for us by the Fling organizers, who did a fantastic job.
That building does not look run down at all. What a majestic garden. Pettigrew! I thought such surnames from Harry Potter character were either fictional or could be found only in the UK. What’s that doing here in the US!!??
I think it goes with carrying around a parrot on his shoulder.
I’m really enjoying attending the Garden Blogger Fling virtually through your website. Thanks for reporting back on it. I actually do have a secret garden although I never thought of it as such before. It is tucked away on the side of my house and you have to go through this rose covered archway to get to it. It is my favorite part of the backyard. I love all the quirky accents in this particular yard. Is that tree with the red bark an arbutus/madrone tree??
I think it is an arbutus, it has those funny red fruits.
Looks like you were able to visit some great gardens. Looks like a good time for sure!
The selection of gardens was excellent, the organizing committee deserves a lot of credit.
This is one of my favourite gardens from the trip. I loved all the use of reclaimed stuff and the shadiness.
Hi Jason, I love the first picture of the tantalising glimpse of the garden through the doorway. It’s a very atmospheric shot.
Love the photo of the balconies with the vertical gardening. I wasn’t sure what we were in store for with this garden….what a treat!
I like the quirky stuff, and when I imagine Bay area gardens, that is one of the adjectives that pops into my head. I have read ahead and enjoyed all of your Fling posts, they make me wish I could have worked it out to attend.