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The
uncommon gardener
Advice
from Sean Quigley who
collects everything from Bromeliads to fossils -
and tells you how to use both in your garden.
BY
NATASHA SARKISIAN
PHOTOGRAPHS
BY KATHRIN MILLER
APRIL
2007
If
you're one of those people with a back yard but no
green thumb, or you just haven't had time to bother,
then Sean Quigley is here to help. He's owner of Paxton
Gate, a landmark gardening shop in the Misson that's
a nursery, curios shop and landscape design center
all in one. His seasoned, and seasonal, advice can
hep you create a one-of-a-kind garden out of virtually
any kind of terrain.He also offers tips on indoor
gardening on thos not lucky enough to have a yard
in this squeezed-for-space town.
Q:
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 planting
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.
Q:
Your store has such a unique aesthetic, with the
apothecary jars and all thos eskeletons and stuff
animals (real ones!). How can I capture that look?
Containters
are great for creating that. In my garden I dropped
a bathtup 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 (1074
Guerrero St., SF, 415-626-7256). 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., SF 415-285-7814). Sometimes they
also have winde 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.
Q:
What's a must-have gardening tool? The
hori hori, or "dig dig," is a Japanese
digging knife that's incredibly strong and versitile.
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.
Q:
How do you choose from the dozens of soils on the
market? Our soil differs drmatically 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, UCTS: 565A Jacoby St., San Rafael,
415-456-1381; 2121 San Joaquin St., Richmond, 510-292-3000;
www.americansoil.com).
Q:
Flowers or foliage? It seems like a waste
to have something that blooms beatifully 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.,
SF 415-431-3134, www. ixia.com).
Q:
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 roms
and garden face north or south. Then, one of the
hardest things for the outdoor gardener is keeping
up on the watering. I hightly 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., SF, 415-661-2204,
www.urbanfarmerstore.com). The mistake indoor gardeners
make is to think all 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 a
month.
Q:
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.
Q:
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 keepign 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.
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