About the Garden
Meet the Gardeners
Jim and Barbara Hartung live in the foothills east of San Diego. Their 30+ year old garden was designed by their good friend Sinjen, a German horticulturist who started designing gardens in San Diego in the 1940s. The two men met when Jim was a young man, working his way through college by caring for gardens. Sinjen was hired to consult on one of those gardens. The two men formed a fast bond that remains strong, despite Sinjen’s death in 2002.
Sinjen designed the Hartungs’ garden in the mid 1970s. The lot was long and narrow. There was a lovely wood and glass home but no significant plantings. Sinjen laid out a naturalistic garden filled with exotic plants. Jim has cared for the garden since its beginning.
About the Garden
To accommodate the long, narrow lot, Sinjen layered palms and other tall vertical palms, with broad flowering shrubs like camellias. The combination creates a sense of both depth and breadth. They fill in the spaces so the garden feels very private and secluded.
Woody trees and shrubs are “laced;” artistically pruned to reveal each plant’s inner beauty. Lacing gives the gardener control over the shape and size of the plant. The approach is both aesthetic and practical – it creates room for more plants in a single garden bed.
Edible plants such as orange trees, kiwi and tomato plants grow in the same beds as camellia, alstroemeria, azalea and other ornamentals. There’s no reason to keep them separate.
Curving paths connect one garden room to the next. They add an element of surprise since you never quite know what you’re going to find around the next corner.
There is no grass in this garden. Instead, Sinjen planted textural groundcovers which are much more interesting than lawn. In addition, they are easier to maintain, take very little fertilizer or water, and help keep the weeds down.
The most important part of growing a garden is learning to be patient. Beautiful gardens like the Hartungs’ are not made overnight. Like good wines, they develop with age.
