Two splendid gardens in Marin — the Panoramic Garden in Stinson Beach and Mediterranean Marin in Mill Valley — return to the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program on June 10.
“Open Days has been opening gardens in Marin County since 2001,” says Cliff Weathers, director of communications for the Garden Conservancy. “The Open Days program annually celebrates the country’s most exciting, creative and innovative private gardens. From expert to novice, there is no better way to improve as a gardener than by experiencing a diverse range of gardens and gardening traditions firsthand.”
Tom Hansen and Ira Hirschfield bought their blank slate of a hillside garden in the Strawberry neighborhood of Mill Valley in 1994 and started transforming the one-third acre of downslope two years later.
Guided by the initial framework laid out by late garden designer Steve Stucky, the garden’s grand descent is a quiet, gentle stroll through a Mediterranean-inspired landscape that doesn’t give away its surprises — a waterfall garden, a stylish shed and a view — too early.
Here, patrons will meander past mature olive trees and agaves, espaliered pear trees, citrus, roses, wisteria, lavender, stachys, foxglove, phlomis, California and Oriental poppies, asters, echium and many shapes and sizes of aeonium.
“The spine of the garden is a flagstone walkway beside a low, curving stone wall, leading to other paths and seating areas that have been added over the years,” Hansen says.
A new stone staircase with a large landing and seating area leading to a far corner of the property has been added since the garden’s last appearance on the tour.
The couple’s goals, he adds, were to create a garden with a series of private spaces, such as landings on every terrace that allow one to experience the experience of that space and its plantings, while also relating to the vistas, Richardson Bay, the Marin Headlands and San Francisco.
“Depending on the time of day and the weather, one or another (garden space) might be more inviting and appealing,” Hansen says. “Trying to have a variety of views, some expansive and others intimate and even contemplative, were always part of the plan and what visitors to the garden find so enjoyable.”
Gardening on the edge of the continent is always a fascinating proposition, especially in the rugged area of Stinson Beach.
The owner of the Panoramic Garden, who chose to remain anonymous, took up the challenge more than 20 years ago when he tamed the wild landscape outside his house and reclaimed it for a stunning coastal garden.
There are more than 200 species of plants from around the world — the Mediterranean, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, South Africa and Mesoamerican cloud forests — in his garden enhanced by stone sculptures from Zimbabwe, large boulders, stone walkways and benches that offer views of both the garden and the Pacific Ocean below.
According to the Garden Conservancy’s description, “protea and dozens of succulent species grow in the sparse soil among the rocks” while “in the sunny open areas, azara, Pseudocydonia psoralea and rare shrubs share space with perennials and self-seeding annuals. Water-loving plants such as papyrus and giant gunnera surround the seasonal stream and the koi pond.”
With so many specimens from such diverse environments, the garden owner has learned how to adapt the needs of each plant in a cohesive garden setting.
In an optional two-hour “Digging Deeper” talk that follows the close of the tour on June 10, he will discuss the backstories of some of his unusual plants, the way he has adapted them to his garden and his garden’s journey.
• Details: The Garden Conservancy Open Days tour is held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 10. The Panoramic Garden “Digging Deeper” talk follows the tour from 4 to 6 p.m. Addresses are furnished upon online registration. Each tour is independent of each other and costs $5 for members or $10 for non-members. The Panoramic Garden’s “Digging Deeper” program costs $30 for members and $40 for non-members. The membership price will be available at registration once the membership signup is complete. Go to gardenconservancy.org/open-days/open-days-schedule/marin-county-ca-open-day-5.
If you have a beautiful or interesting Marin garden or a newly designed Marin home, I’d love to know about it.
Please send an email describing either one (or both), what you love most about it, and a photograph or two. I will post the best ones in upcoming columns. Your name will be published and you must be over 18 years old and a Marin resident.
• Take part in any of the 150 events, including conversations, workshops, tours and open studios, when San Francisco Design Week takes place June 6 to 11 in San Francisco. Go to sfdesignweek.org.
PJ Bremier writes on home, garden, design and entertaining topics every Saturday. She may be contacted at P.O. Box 412, Kentfield 94914, or at pj@pjbremier.com.
