The Wave Garden in Point Richmond may be one of the best kept secrets in the Bay Area. There seems to be some hesitation to share its exact location. Maybe it’s because the Wave Garden is privately owned even though it’s open to the public and meant to be enjoyed by the wider community. More on the history of this unique place a little later.
I visited the Wave Garden in February 2014 and again in May 2015 and had been wanting to go back ever since. Since it’s only 15 minutes from Annie’s Annuals and Perennials, I caught two birds with one stone last weekend. After spending a couple of hours shopping at Annie’s, I made the short drive to Point Richmond. As on my previous visits, there was nobody else there. For an hour I enjoyed what has to be one of the most scenic and peaceful spots on the east side of San Francisco Bay.
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| One of several seating areas, this one overlooking the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge crossing San Pablo Bay |
The owners of the Wave Garden, Jeanne and Vern Doellstedt, bought the property next to their home to prevent it from being developed. They decided to turn it into a collaborative space combining concrete walls and paths, metal gates and fences, and lush yet drought-tolerant plantings that provide visual interest and color year round. Even better, they decided to open the garden to the public to enjoy.
The creative minds behind the Wave Garden are Victor Amador who did the concrete work (800 lineal feet of textured walls and paths), Robert Sharpe who designed the metal gates and fences, and Kellee Adams of dig-it landscape design who came up with the plant palette. Click here and scroll to the bottom to see the Wave Garden under construction (in 2006, I believe).
As you will see below, the combined efforts of Victor Amador, Robert Sharpe and Kellee Adams have resulted in something truly special.
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| Chondropetalum tectorum (left), Banksia spinulosa ‘Schnapper Point’ (right) |
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| One of several metal sculptures by the late Douglas Purdy |
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| Leucadendron ‘Jester’ |
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| View towards San Pablo Bay |
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| This is one of the most beautiful specimens of Leucadendron ‘Jester’ I’ve ever seen |
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| No surprise—many members of the Proteaceae family, both from South Africa and Australia, thrive in the mild coastal climate |
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| A perfect example of Victor Amador’s concrete work, with equally perfect Echeveria ‘Imbricata’ |
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| Can you imagine how wonderful it must be to enjoy this view every day? |
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| Echeveria ‘Imbricata’ |
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| Echeveria ‘Imbricata’ and Echeveria elegans |
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| Echeverias, aeoniums and a silver tree (Leucadendron argenteum) |
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| ×Mangave ‘Macho Mocha’ in front of the owners’ house |
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| Beschorneria yuccoides ‘Flamingo Glow’. The tree in the background is the same Leucadendron argenteum you saw above. |
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| View of the house next door |
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| Echeveria agavoides and a very pretty NOID groundcover |
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| Another Beschorneria ‘Flamingo Glow’ in a one-of-a-kind planter with a pin cushion bush (Leucospermum sp.) on the left |
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| Looking towards the top of the garden from the lower level |
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| A good view of Victor Amador’s concrete work |
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| Agave schidigera ‘Durango Delight’ |
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| Cotyledon orbiculata (front), unidentified lomandra, and Leucadendron ‘Jester’ |
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| View from the bottom level of the Douglas Purdy sculpture you saw in an earlier photo |
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| Banksia spinulosa ‘Schnapper Point’ again |
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| Leucadendron ‘Jester’ and Banksia spinulosa ‘Schnapper Point’ |
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| Echeveria agavoides (left), Cotyledon orbiculata (right) |
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| Echeveria agavoides |
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| Looking east towards the Doellstedt’s house |
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| Aeoniums only look this good on the coast |
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| Looking down from two levels up. The grass-like plants are lomandras. |
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| Adenanthos cuneatus, another beauty from Australia |
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| Cotyledon orbiculata var. oblonga ‘Macrantha’ |
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| Two South African cabbage trees (Cussonia sp.) |
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| More aeoniums and Cotyledon orbiculata (a highly variable species) |
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| Metal fence by Robert Sharpe |
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| Gate on the lower level |
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| Furcraea foetida ‘Mediopicta’ |
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| One final look at Robert Sharpe’s fence and gate and of the neighborhood beyond |
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| Lomandra near the upper entrance |
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| Upper entrance to the Wave Garden—no gate here |
The entrance to the Wave Garden is off Grandview Court in Point Richmond. It’s easy to spot on Google Maps’ satellite view:
I wonder how many more (semi) secret gardens there are in the Bay Area? If you know of any, please let me know in the comment area below.
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