If you’re one of those people with a backyard but no green thumb, or you just haven’t had time to bother, Sean Quigley is here to help. He’s the owner of
Paxton Gate, a landmark gardening shop in the Mission that’s a nursery, curio shop, and landscape design center all in one. His seasoned, and seasonal, advice can help you create a one-of-a-kind garden out of virtually any kind of terrain. He also offers tips on indoor gardening for those not lucky enough to have a yard in this squeezed-for-space town.
I finally decided to do something with the dirt out back. What’s my first step?
The biggest mistake people make is buying plants and putting them randomly in the ground. Whether planting on a fire escape or a big backyard, get some graph paper out, take some rough measurements, and start planning. Think about how you want to use the space—will you hang out there or do you mostly want a nice view from inside?—and how you’re going to move through it. Even if the area is small, try to create two sections so you can pass from one to the other. It feels bigger if you have some place to go.
Your store has such a unique aesthetic, with the apothecary jars and all those skeletons and stuffed animals (real ones!). How can I capture that look?
Containers are great for creating that. In my garden I dropped a bathtub into the ground and used it as a basin for a pond with some horsetail in it. We sell some interesting containers here, and so does Flora Grubb Gardens (1634 Jerrold Ave. S.F., 415.626.7256,
www.floragrubb.com). If you only have a cement area to work with, Building Resources sells large laundry-tub sinks that make for unique planters (701 Amador St., S.F., 415-285-7814). Sometimes they also have wine barrels with liners so you don’t have to worry about leaching tannins killing the fish or plants. I’ve also mounted fossils into cement walls and other solid surfaces.
What’s a must-have gardening tool?
The hori hori, or “dig dig,” is a Japanese digging knife that’s incredibly strong and versatile. You can use it to dig holes for small plants, scarify a root ball, or even cut open the plastic on a root-bound pot.
How do you choose from the dozens of soils on the market?
Our soil differs dramatically from neighborhood to neighborhood. On the north side, some of the land is in-fill, so it’s sand. In Noe Valley and Bernal Heights, if you go down a couple of feet, you’ll hit shale. If you describe your soil—sand, rock, or clay—to American Soil Products, they’ll know what to suggest. As for planting in containers, you need a fast-draining mix for the succulents, cacti, and other drought-tolerant types, and a mix that’s high in organic matter for plants that like to keep their feet wet, like ferns (American Soil Products: 565A Jacoby St., San Rafael, 415-456-1381; 2121 San Joaquin St., Richmond, 510-292-3000;
www.americansoil.com).
Flowers or foliage?
It seems like a waste to have something that blooms beautifully for only a few weeks of the year and is ho-hum the rest of the time. So I play a lot with foliage color. Succulents are strong in that area, and they often have amazing flowers. I’m really into mixing them with bromeliads—they consistently have robust foliage in a wide array of colors and designs. And if you’re not into growing flowers, but you want them in your home, Ixia on Market Street has an amazing collection of one-of-a-kind arrangements (2331 Market St., S.F., 415-431-3134,
www.ixia.com).
How can I make sure the plants I choose thrive?
It all comes down to two things: light and water. It’s best just to tell the salesperson whether your rooms and garden face north or south. Then, one of the hardest things for the outdoor gardener is keeping up on the watering. I highly recommend installing an irrigation system, even if it’s just a simple one hooked up to the house. The Urban Farmer Store is great for that (2833 Vicente St., S.F., 415-661-2204,
www.urbanfarmerstore.com). The mistake indoor gardeners make is to think all of their plants need the same amount of water. Big, leafy, green plants should be watered as soon as the surface of the soil is dry, but some succulents need only a few drops once a month.
I’ve killed every plant I’ve ever had. Any advice?
Herb gardens are good for novices since herbs are very forgiving. They can withstand wind, full sun, and owner neglect. Inside, your best bet for windowsill plants are the carnivorous ones, like pitcher plants. The draft from the window helps give them the seasonal change in temperature they need.
Why can’t I get my orchids or tulips to bloom more than once?
Many plants need an extra cold snap to realize that winter has come and gone, and that’s the problem with keeping plants inside—they’re never prompted to reproduce. Even outdoors, it doesn’t get cold enough here for tulips, so you’ll need to pull them out every year and refrigerate or freeze them to simulate a cold snap.
Planting the seeds of inspiration
To help you do your homework in plant selection and garden design, here are Quigley’s favorite resources.
Golden Gate Park’s
botanical garden is the perfect place for novice gardeners to figure out what they like. It has plants from all over the world organized into climate zones, and you can find areas of the park that are similar to your garden’s climate (1251 9th Ave., at Lincoln Way, S.F.,
www.sfbotanicalgarden.org).
When in doubt, stick to native plants. A good place to find them is
Sloat Garden Center (2700 Sloat Blvd., s.f., 415-566-4415).
Most gardeners I know refer to the regional standard, the
Sunset Western Garden Book. It’s not flashy, but it’s full of great information on how to choose and care for local plants.
Garden Design Magazine is great for visuals, from close-ups on individual plants to layouts for an entire garden. Its annual competition for amateur and professional garden designers is a good source for original ideas.
Paxton Gate, 824 Valencia St., S.F., 415-824-1872
