Installation: Cow Hollow Containers

A couple of weeks ago I had the fantastic job of installing a colorful container garden, with the help of my partner Tony. “Container Garden” is the term generally used (at least, within the gardening industry) to denote, well, a garden comprised entirely of containers – as opposed to a garden with containers staged within it, or simply a garden of plants in the ground.

So, this particular design was for a hot deck at a condo in SF’s Cow Hollow neighborhood. Cow Hollow is centered around Union St at the north end of the City. Some lump the area in with Pacific Heights, and others think it’s part of the Marina. Not so. Cow Hollow is its own entity, so named because it was the last pasture of cattle before large livestock was banned from SF.

Corner grouping with a Furcraea macdougalii focus. Succulent composition is low to accent the view from inside the condo.

The design request came in through the design team at Flora Grubb Gardens, and this particular layout is one of Patrick Lannan‘s plans. (I chose the succulents for the compositions, with the design calling for greens, oranges, and reds – no blues or greys.) The deck is a huge shared tier for the whole condo building, but each tenant has their own attached fenced-in segment to enjoy. The client’s was particularly hot, despite being a northern exposure. The light colored stone surface and light walls only intensified this heat. For much of the year, however, this is fog city over here, with no topography separating it from the Golden Gate.

Seating area flanked by Furcraea macdougalii, Myer's Asparagus, and a composition of succulents.

The idea was to add some impact with color and to create an exciting place for the clients to hang out outside. Besides the succulent plantings and asparagus ferns, there were also troughs of herbs and two pots of citrus (Meyer lemon and calamondin, which is shooter-marble-sized and eaten whole like kumquats. Popular among SE Asian countries especially.) I heard they were enjoying their vitalized deck later the same day!

Tony finishing off the wash-down. No irrigation setup needed. Clients will easily water these critters by hand.

A succulent composition.

Another succulent composition.

Citrus and herbs next to the barbecue.

View coming in through the gate from the common areas.