A colorful backyard in Noe Valley

This shady backyard is used by a number of long-term tenants in Noe Valley. They weren’t allowed to change the structure of their backyard but they still wanted something more dynamic and beautiful (a common issue for renters). The larger plants and several cacti were off-limits, but smaller plants could be moved around to give the garden a better sense of pattern. Adding color and fixing up the vegetable bed — both quick ways to revitalize most gardens — were high priorities. We were able to build more of a color scheme by buying just a few new plants and paying attention to where they would have the most impact. The existing irrigation system was redesigned and re-used in the veggie garden, saving both costs and waste.