Kaiser Pocket Garden in Oakland

Anything that is a distraction while visiting the doctor can be a good thing (don’t get me wrong – I have wonderful doctors)! This small pocket garden in the Oakland medical complex is a great example. It is really just an alleyway that cuts between several building between Howe Street and Piedmont Avenue.

Alleyway transformed into a pocket garden

This alley is different – boasting redwood trees, plants that do well in shade, and a small picnic area. The effect is a cool and calming walkway between two busy streets in a bustling medical center. This may not be the ideal environment for the redwoods, but they seemed to be thriving and growing well.

Clivia miniata (Natal lily, bush lily) - a shade loving native of damp woodlands in South Africa

 

I’ve reported on Kaiser landscaping projects before (see Kaiser Medical Center in Oakland, and Kaiser Meditation Garden in Pleasanton). I like their innovative approach to making something beautiful out of what would otherwise be utilitarian. Good inspiration for all of us.

Young redwoods growing between buildings