The pond and the rest of the fantastical things I saw at Marcia Donahue's

If Monday and Wednesday's posts were the layers of a cake, then today's post is the frosting. Or maybe the other posts were the salad and dinner courses and this is the desert? Whatever you want to call it today's post is more garden eye candy from sculptor Marcia Donahue's Berkeley garden as I saw it late last March...

There is a large raised pond in the middle of the back garden and I find it endlessly fascinating for all the ways Marcia plants in and around it.

Pottery shards as mulch is a good look.

I think this staghorn planting must have really imprinted on my subconscious as  did a very similar mount with the plant I brought back from this trip, a gift from Tracy. I'd forgotten all about seeing this until I started to edit my photos. I was rather surprised...

Going through and editing down my photos it took me a moment to realize those are the base of severed palm fronds. At first I thought they were metal.

Canarina canariensis

Being in the Bay Area Marcia can grow Phlebodium out doors year round.

Cypripedium formosanum in full bloom for our visit.

Coniogramme emeiensis 'Golden Zebra' or like.

Along with various totems (Marcia's work) this part of the garden featured multiple bowl plantings up on a plinth, it's a look I love.

Okay this was a bit jarring to my eyes. Mahonia x media 'marvel' seems a little familiar to be growing here. I say that not out of dislike (I have three and love them), but because among all the bromeliads, begonias and jungle cactus it was surprising to see.

Another Phlebodium...

The pond from the opposite side.

I have a piece of this plant! At least I think it's from this plant. Riz Reyes got it from Marcia and he passed it on to Ann Amato who divided it and passed it on to me.

Am I repeating myself? A little. I'm sharing the same subjects from different angles, I want you to feel like you're there in the garden!

Walking back, retracing my steps...

And now I'm back at the gate that leads to the parking garden I shared on Monday. I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into Marcia Donahue's remarkable garden as much as I did!

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When Marcia plans a veggie garden

Chatting while visiting Ann Nichols' garden, Marcia Donahue and I got to talking about some changes that were happening in Marcia's own garden. She was excited about space she'd recently decided to give over to a veggie garden. Her daughter (who lives on the property) wanted to grow vegetables and there was really only one sunny patch, which had been occupied by Marcia's chicken coup (and I think maybe part of her artisit's studio). I listened, but the idea of a vegetable garden taking up space in Marcia Donahue's garden had me wanting to yell "Oh Hell NO!" please, no! But I didn't yell, I just listened...

Here we are in Marcia's garden. We're about to head down the pathway towards the area where the changes are underway...

I was holding my breath. Worried about what I would see, letting myself be distracted by the details (oh so very easy to do in this garden) rather than look at the big (veggie garden) picture.

Oh, what's that! (squirrel!)

A volunteer Phlebodium growing in a bowling ball finger hole, sweet!

But about that veggie garden, why was I worried?

Obviously Marcia was going to put her own very creative spin on the idea of a vegetable garden...

This is the reworked corner, and a reminder, I was there on March 29th, so the garden was very much still an idea being worked out. The actual plants were yet to come...

Who wouldn't want a rusty scaffolding for the veggies to be trained up?

And a (yet to be built) second level for other plants wanting even more sun? I wish I could have flown back down to Berkeley to take "now" photos to share with you all. I am sure it's become a phenomenal and productive vegetable garden.

Naturally the scaffolding is artistically anchored, and the stepping stones handmade.

The sides of the raised bed aren't just 2x4 lumber either...

Honestly I relished getting to see this area under construction, to see the artist working through the process of implementing a new design...

To the right of the construction area were plants and pots that appeared to be temporarily stored there. It was a fantastic mashup.

So that's my look at the new veggie garden and it's inspiring ingredients.

Believe it or not, there's still more to come before I wrap up my visit to this garden.

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All material © 2009-2025 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.