In June of 2013 I was part of a group of Garden Bloggers (“The Fling”) who visited the Wave Garden in Point Richmond, CA. I was awestruck by the garden and vowed to return the next time I was in the Bay Area. That first visit was on an extremely hot day and the garden was filled with dozens of other bloggers, all fondling the plants and scouting for the perfect shot. This time there was a lovely breeze coming up off the bay and I was the only person in the garden. It was heaven.
The Wave garden is one-third-acre, private garden which overlooks San Pablo Bay. The owners, Jeanne and Werner Doellstedt, live adjacent to the garden and bought the undeveloped lot to (understandably) keep someone from building a house on the land and blocking their bay view. A view not too unlike this one, photo looking back towards San Francisco, taken at the end of the street where I parked…
But what they did with the vacant lot is nothing short of amazing and definitely illustrates the typically generous nature of gardeners, and plant lovers, everywhere. They hired concrete artist and sculptor Victor Amador to create the curvaceous (wavy) walkway and planting areas…
Blacksmith Bobby Sharpe is responsible for the railings and gates, which are works of art…
And finally plantswoman Kelle Adams brought it all to life with inspired (low water and heat tolerant) plantings.
After spending a reported 1 million on the project instead of keeping it all to themselves, as an extension of their property, the Doellstedts have opened it to anyone who wants to visit. How cool is that?
Let’s take a closer look, starting with a gorgeous silvery blue Echium candicans ‘Pride of Madeira’…
And a bright, candy-colored, Leucadendron ‘Jester’…
Echeveria elegans makes a lovely groundcover.
I’m fairly sure this is a Beschorneria, I just can’t tell you which one.
Near the top of my (long) list of plants I wish I could grow in the ground is Leucadendron argenteum, the Silver Tree.
Banksia spinulosa, it’s a work of art…
Grevillea x gaudichaudii, looking a little worse for the wear but still attractively arching over the wall.
Hopefully I’ve convinced you this garden is worth visiting? It’s a bit tricky to find but if you look up Grandview Court, Point Richmond, CA 94801, that should get you there. Park on the street, be respectful of the neighbors, and visit between the hours of 8am to 6pm. Oh and when we have the opportunity to do something like this (no matter how small the scale) let’s learn from the Doellstedt’s example and share it with the world, you never know who (or what) we might inspire…
