apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Not being from the SF area I can't make any specific recommendations but a cheaper alternative may be to take a photo of your space to your local nursery and ask for their suggestions. They will usually help for free or at least give you a free headstart.

Good Luck!

N.

http://badhuman.wordpress.com

You probably don't need an architect for such a small yard, a designer or design/install firm will probably do it. This company:

www.artisanslandscape.com

specializes in small San Francisco yards and does great, quality work at reasonable prices.

I think it looks pretty glamorous as it is. I like the table set and the bench on the left. Bouganvillea is a wonderfully easy plant to grow in SF (actually, almost anything is) and would add some color. Sounds like you need to talk to someone who does landscape design, and not a landscape architect.

Paxton Gate has garden design services.
http://www.paxtongate.com/landscape/toc.cfm

It took me a few moments to realize that the images here were NOT your yard, but were instead from Kirk in Australia.

So, I went looking for some ideas for you. Here are some tiny urban gardens, to get you mulling over the many possibilities:

(why don't links always paste? I hate typing them out!)
http://designawards.wordpress.com/2006/11/04

http://www.housetohome.co.uk/galleries/gardens.html?page=1&subslug=/galleries/gardens/urban

This is painted concrete.
http://tinyurl.com/3yzu2p

These are reuseable molds to make your own stepping stones or borders:
http://www.gardenmolds.com

For the concrete itself, have you checked into acid stain?
Since the links aren't pasting right now, go to Google, do an image search for concrete acid stain.

Yes, all those beautiful floors are concrete. You can create all kinds of patterns. Sometimes the floors come out very mottled, which is my favorite, it has to do with the content of the concrete.

It's not paint, it does not wear off.

How's that for starters? For some ideas and some pictures to look at?

Wow, thanks guys--yeah that's not my place, but something simply and nicely done. Those are great ideas! Our problem is we are simply not garden people, and can't seem to do it without someone telling us exactly what to do. Something like artisan landscape seems perfect! Any other suggestions? I promise to post when we're done!
Andy

No referral for your area but I have experience with your problem. Two suggestions on picking the right company.

First, if you are replacing/installing a patio, request consult/bid appointments with the hardscape companies and, while they are there, ask them to throw out some suggestions (and a bid) for the whole backyard. I selected a company that had experience with urban, new apartment building courtyards, as well as the courtyards you see in small, luxury retailer shopping centers. They know how to design smaller yet chic projects that can withstand foot traffic (I have dogs). On tip on the bidding aspect, I was uber flexible on the schedule so they wouldn't charge a premium in case they had competing (and more profitable) projects.

Second, if you decide against the approach above and solicit consults with landscape designers, do so in their "off-season." It seems most designers have a peak season two to three months before the ideal installation time in the area. There is less interest for smaller projects during the busy season. I got rejected by several design firms b/c of size, which is how I ended up with the process noted above. It means you'll need to push off plant installation for another season but at least you'd get a professional job.

Good luck and post pics once finished!!

Andy/SFWriter:

Here are some questions to start thinking about in terms of your yard that will help you and help your contractor make the right choices...

1. Efficiency. You obviously NEED to be able to get to your trash and recycling bins, as does your neighbor need to use the thoroughfare. Are there any other ways of doing it than how it is currently done?

2. Entertaining. How many people? How often? What kinds of furnishings for outdoor entertaining to do you HAVE to have to accomplish this? And how much space is left over?

3. Sun or shade. Some plants need the sun, some need the shade, some are fine in between.

4. Attract/repel. Well, you probably don't have to worry about deer or rabbits or bears raiding your yard for food. You don't, do you? But think about nature. Bees like flowers. Some they like more than others. Hummingbirds. Butterflies.

Some plants bear seeds and fruits that attract birds. Some are messy with sticky seeds, pointy thorns, needles, or a million tiny leaves that never disintegrate. Or flower petals that stain. What can and can't you handle?

Also, in the attract/repel category, fragrance. Some have wonderful blossoms, like Hall's honeysuckle (grows pretty much wild and untended by Olympic golf course).

Some have delightful fragrance by brushing against the plant itself, like rosemary, or scented leaf pelargonium (aka geranium). There are scents like peppermint, attar of roses, chocolate, etc.:
http://geraniaceae.com/pelargoniums/leaf/

4. Time and money. How much time do you have to keep it up? How much money do you have to buy the stuff? How much money will it cost to make the garden less time consuming, such as putting in drip irrigation?

Yes, you might be able to do something awesome, even around those stairs and posts:
Stairs:
http://www.redbubble.com/people/richardv/art/593880-2-potted-stairs

Container ONLY roof garden:
http://www.arcadialandscape.com/garden.html

Plants that start at the base of the garden can go UP UP UP, for instance, with an arbor:
http://www.backyardcity.com/garden/arbors/LWO-Arbor-820-1999-1.htm

You have two entries at least, the double gate, the side entrance where the bamboo fencing is. But you also have the stairwell, which might be able to have an arbor too.

Imagine an arbor over the end of your stairs covered with greenery and some blossoms. Guess what? The view of the trash receptacles disappears. So too would the trash disappear if you were allowed to put up trellis that could be covered with greenery between or around the posts.

That whole jumble of posts COULD be made into almost a trellised garden room. Take a look at these Fresh Air Rooms:
http://www.bhg.com/bhg/slideshow/slideShow.jsp?slideid=/templatedata/bhg/slideshow/data/freshairroomsSS_05062002.xml

Like image 6 is off-the-rack plastic lattice and 2x4s. That could be totally awesome. Unless, of course, that is also the thoroughfare for the neighbor and their trash receptacle.

5. Browse realistically. But BROWSE! Start doing Google image searches, that's what I've been doing. "Urban garden" and "Stair garden" and "Container garden".

Do for your yard what the Apartment Therapy book does for the home. Make a collection of images, of things you really like. Of colors. Of plants.

Go to the closest nursery, look at their plants, smell everything. Write down the names. Note where the plants are placed IN the nursery.

Also consider the weather, if the furniture you like has to be stored or have maintenance. If you'd use the yard more if you had an outdoor heater radiating on a seating area.

Carry a measuring tape too, and take down measurements of outdoor furniture. Or make notes on how big a plant can get. Yes, I know it's in a 4" pot now, but if it says it can have a 10' spread within a year, believe them. Disguising the trash area, good. Having to hire a guide and use a machete to get to the trash area, bad.

TRUE BLUE -- I can't thank you enough for the thoroughness of your suggestions. Getting a collection of images is a smart idea, as if rethinking everything about how it is set up now. Ever grateful.

Hey Andy!

I was just over browsing the IKEA summer stuff. What do you think about this planter? Perhaps one for each end of your deck:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90127085

The white might be nice on the deck area, as would the natural terracotta. You could try out some simple Allyssum. It smells like honey, will reseed itself, is fairly easy to grow. You will have to remember to water it.

Looks like this:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/wildseed/37/37.7.html

White bounces light during the day, and is the most visible flower at night.

It's growing wild on it's own along the pathway around Lake Merced.

It will make you feel like you are getting started with your project. You have to start somewhere. And if the ends are not used, use them for flowers. The triple planters make the best use out of those ends, by giving you lots of room for flowers in minimal space. And gives you a bit of privacy on the deck from the sides.

Also, I saw where you redid your living room. Have you looked at other window films? Like these:
http://www.artscape-inc.com/index.php
http://www.decorativefilm.com/ProductCatalog.htm

They look stunning from the inside during the day. And equally stunning from the outside at night. One person I had recommended the Artscape product to was overjoyed with the results.

They lived on a busy street, very close to the sidewalk, so they didn't necessarily want everyone staring in. But the alternative was keeping the draperies closed. There was no "in-between".

Until I showed her the film, which can be used only on the lower parts of the windows, as you did with your windows.

She said that after she and her husband were finished, they turned on all the lights in the living room and stood around outside staring at their own house. At night. Ooohing and ahhhing.

There are all kinds of designs and patterns. I like the stained glass look. And I like this too:
http://www.decorativefilm.com/SX-1514ClearCutGlassAtlanti.jpg

It turns that bouquet into abstract art.

You had mentioned something about privacy, and I don't know how many windows that is an issue in, but these kinds of films can take the place of draperies or curtains.

So if you do have other windows to do, check those things out.