Imagine living in downtown San Francisco. Your apartment is probably modestly sized, has no balcony, and its windows mostly open onto a noisy street. Outside the front door of your building is nothing but harsh sidewalk and asphalt.
Now imagine an oasis of foliage to sooth you from the city's noise and hard edges. It's hidden inside the courtyard space created by your building and several others near it. You can look down on its calming green canopy from the back windows of your apartment, and better yet, you can hang out in this unique garden because it's part of your shared outdoor space.
Our first stop on the 2013 Garden Bloggers Fling is the environment that two talented designers have created in the Organic Mechanics Garden - a formerly neglected courtyard between several multistory buildings. Their unique and quirky approach to the garden and its design has resulted in a fascinating space that all the residents of the building are welcome to enjoy.
Unexpected touches of whimsy and delightful salvage solutions are everywhere.
Seating areas take advantage of the dappled shade.
Xeric potted plants are strategically positioned in the few hot and sunny spots.
The designers employ small trees and subtle wire supports to add structure and divide the spaces into outdoor rooms.
Areas with deeper shade hold lush foliage, water features, and more seating.
And always, there's the unexpected, like this top hat holding a bunch of black Mondo grass...
...while the high, overhead canopy shelters the space and adds to the serenity of this secret garden.
My takeaway from the Organic Mechanics garden was that you can re-purpose almost anything as garden design fodder. While salvage items aren't the first thing I think of for path, pot or design elements, these designers had the vision to integrate salvage perfectly into a whole that was far more than the sum of its plants and parts.
Now imagine an oasis of foliage to sooth you from the city's noise and hard edges. It's hidden inside the courtyard space created by your building and several others near it. You can look down on its calming green canopy from the back windows of your apartment, and better yet, you can hang out in this unique garden because it's part of your shared outdoor space.
Unexpected touches of whimsy and delightful salvage solutions are everywhere.
Seating areas take advantage of the dappled shade.
Xeric potted plants are strategically positioned in the few hot and sunny spots.
The designers employ small trees and subtle wire supports to add structure and divide the spaces into outdoor rooms.
And always, there's the unexpected, like this top hat holding a bunch of black Mondo grass...
...while the high, overhead canopy shelters the space and adds to the serenity of this secret garden.
My takeaway from the Organic Mechanics garden was that you can re-purpose almost anything as garden design fodder. While salvage items aren't the first thing I think of for path, pot or design elements, these designers had the vision to integrate salvage perfectly into a whole that was far more than the sum of its plants and parts.
