Succulents Beautify a San Francisco Shade Garden
A garden designed to be viewed from above gets new drought-tolerant, wildlife-friendly plantings
Margot Hartford
August 19, 2016
Houzz Contributor. Interiors photographer in the Bay Area for over 15 years. Publications include Veranda, California Home & Design, Sunset Magazine and Better Homes and Gardens.
Houzz Contributor. Interiors photographer in the Bay Area for over 15 years. Publications... More
Designing a backyard cottage garden seemed like a good idea to San Francisco homeowner Charlotte Clark — until she’d lived with it for a while. It eventually became what she describes as “a riot of color, plants and bushes all over the place and a garden that was difficult to maintain.” And so a decade ago, she converted it into a more traditional — and manageable — landscape designed around perennial shrubs.
But recently, Clark realized that it was time for another revamp. Drought had taken its toll on the garden, and shrubs had gotten woody and overgrown. This time, Clark turned to garden consultant Lana Pappas to design a drought-tolerant, wildlife-friendly landscape with an artistic edge. “It was really helpful to have a fresh set of eyes,” Clark says. “Lana found the plants that would grow well in my yard, as well as ones that would attract birds and butterflies.” Mixing new and existing plants, Pappas designed a view garden that looks beautiful and invites in sounds of nature.
But recently, Clark realized that it was time for another revamp. Drought had taken its toll on the garden, and shrubs had gotten woody and overgrown. This time, Clark turned to garden consultant Lana Pappas to design a drought-tolerant, wildlife-friendly landscape with an artistic edge. “It was really helpful to have a fresh set of eyes,” Clark says. “Lana found the plants that would grow well in my yard, as well as ones that would attract birds and butterflies.” Mixing new and existing plants, Pappas designed a view garden that looks beautiful and invites in sounds of nature.
Garden at a Glance
Who lives here: Charlotte Clark, a crochet jewelry maker; her husband, Michael Conoscente; and their cat, Abbey
Location: Excelsior district of San Francisco
Size: 900 square feet (83.6 square meters)
Designer: Lana Pappas of The Gardenista
Clark worked at Apple most of her career and had an hourlong commute to Cupertino from her San Francisco home. “After I retired, I realized how much I loved my garden,” Clark says. “Instead of traveling, I decided to focus my attention on my garden.”
Pappas started by removing and trimming overgrown vegetation to open up the space. She kept some of the tall perimeter plantings — two ‘Cécile Brünner’ climbing roses and stands of bamboo — as well as a plum tree, succulents and other plants that would work with the new design. The existing hardscaping remained in place.
The designer then introduced more succulents, ornamental grasses and other low-water plants, including ‘Paprika’ yarrow, germander sage, blue fescue, island snapdragon, red-hot poker, fountain rush (Elegia capensis), kangaroo paw, white sage, California lilac and tree aloe.
Who lives here: Charlotte Clark, a crochet jewelry maker; her husband, Michael Conoscente; and their cat, Abbey
Location: Excelsior district of San Francisco
Size: 900 square feet (83.6 square meters)
Designer: Lana Pappas of The Gardenista
Clark worked at Apple most of her career and had an hourlong commute to Cupertino from her San Francisco home. “After I retired, I realized how much I loved my garden,” Clark says. “Instead of traveling, I decided to focus my attention on my garden.”
Pappas started by removing and trimming overgrown vegetation to open up the space. She kept some of the tall perimeter plantings — two ‘Cécile Brünner’ climbing roses and stands of bamboo — as well as a plum tree, succulents and other plants that would work with the new design. The existing hardscaping remained in place.
The designer then introduced more succulents, ornamental grasses and other low-water plants, including ‘Paprika’ yarrow, germander sage, blue fescue, island snapdragon, red-hot poker, fountain rush (Elegia capensis), kangaroo paw, white sage, California lilac and tree aloe.
Much of the time the garden is viewed from inside the house, which was built in 1905 and overlooks the backyard. Clark enjoys gazing out the windows that line the back of the house. There’s a lot to see in the new garden: varied plantings, garden art, and a multitude of butterflies, bees, birds and small animals. “I once saw a large hawk in the middle of the yard,” Clark says.
A French bistro table and chairs, which Clark purchased several years ago, add a decorative touch to the patio. The potted flowering bromeliad was a gift from a neighbor.
Bistro table and chairs: Fermob via Flora Grubb
Bistro table and chairs: Fermob via Flora Grubb
Pappas upcycled the weathered top of an old wooden patio table, mounting it on the fence as a backdrop for air plants and metal garden art.
“I love collecting things for the garden, such as the Haitian garden angel made from a steel drum,” Clark says. “I see it as an artistic outlet.”
Garden angel: Haiti Metal Art; metal stars: Summer Cottage Antiques
“I love collecting things for the garden, such as the Haitian garden angel made from a steel drum,” Clark says. “I see it as an artistic outlet.”
Garden angel: Haiti Metal Art; metal stars: Summer Cottage Antiques
Clark grows herbs such as Italian parsley, rosemary, thyme and sage in one pot within easy access from the back door.
Potted succulents and a small sculpture form a centerpiece on the bistro table.
Pots from Guatemala are placed around the main pathways. Succulents thrive in the garden’s sandy soil, which Pappas topped with a medium-size bark mulch.
Pots: Living Green
Pots: Living Green
Small decorative creatures appear throughout the garden. Here, an iron fox holds a container of sedum.
This decorative iron frame, one of three in the garden, is a hanging lantern from North Africa. Originally, the frame would have been covered in red goat hide with a candle placed inside.
Wrought iron frame: Richard Gervais Collection
Wrought iron frame: Richard Gervais Collection
An old pear tree, which has been trimmed to look more elegant, still bears fruit.
The plants chosen for the garden attract real birds too.
Drought-tolerant plants, such as these potted rose-colored hens-and-chicks, do well year-round in Northern California.
Hydrangeas and Pieris add color to a shady spot. Incorporating existing plantings like these helped keep the cost of the redesign down.
Clark and Pappas livened up a dark corner with more bromeliads. The red of the blooms is echoed in other garden elements.
‘Paprika’ yarrow grows around another iron lamp frame. Fountain rush rises up in front of the fence on the right.
Hanging bromeliads and a decorative flea market find adorn a section of the fence.
Decorative iron gate: Alemany Flea Market; hanging bromeliads: Succulence
Decorative iron gate: Alemany Flea Market; hanging bromeliads: Succulence
An existing large agave plant is one of the garden’s focal points. Pappas cleared out plants around it in the redesign; now it has room to spread.
The main path winds from the front to the back corner. “I knew that I wanted to do something different in the yard and that I wanted to open it up,” Clark says.
Clark and husband Michael Conoscente’s home is in a dense urban neighborhood, but the backyard links up with neighbors’ yards to form a green oasis that supports wildlife.
Clark and husband Michael Conoscente’s home is in a dense urban neighborhood, but the backyard links up with neighbors’ yards to form a green oasis that supports wildlife.
“I never get bored with the garden,” Clark says. “There is always something interesting to see.”
“It is really fun to look around for the right things,” Clark says. “And choosing the right colors that will complement the plants, such as the red wind sculpture.”
Sculpture: Mark White Fine Art
Sculpture: Mark White Fine Art
A frog bench sits near bamboo plants in the back of the yard. “I love the rustling sound the bamboo makes,” Clark says.
A collection of shade plants includes a sword fern, maiden’s wreath and pink-flowered New Guinea impatiens. Two iron hares forage in the background.
The backyard is windy, so whispering plants and wind chimes add to the sounds in the air.
“I have always loved to be around animals,” Clark says. “The heron sculpture is the latest addition to my menagerie.”
Sculpture: Luna Sea Gallery
Sculpture: Luna Sea Gallery
Echeverias grow in a bed bordering the patio.
“Our home is small, so the backyard feels like another room to me,” says Clark, seen here with indoor cat Abbey making a chaperoned visit outside.
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My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style:
Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
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It reminds me of "The Secret Garden". What a find in the middle of SF. And Abbey the cat is a cutie, but you know she is trying to figure out how to become an outdoor cat.
What are they? Are they weeds or a new plant?