30th Anniversary Historical Post: The Evolution of GFE's Hillside Areas

A view of the south hillside area in 1996. We see a few plants and young trees, and much of it is still grass.

Today’s historical post takes a look at our hillside areas over twenty-four of the garden’s thirty-year history. GFE has a distinctive configuration in that half the garden is on a relatively flat area where most activity takes place, and the other half is on a steep foothill section of Mount Sutro. The lower section gets a lot more attention in photos, so we want to show you a bit of how the hillside developed over the years. 

The first photo shows GFE in Fall 1996 (above), six years after GFE’s establishment. We see a verdant area in the flat area (take note of the tree collard -- impressive!), and the south hillside has some trees and plants, but is mostly covered in grass. 

Spring 2000: Here we see what looks like a beekeeping class examining hive frames on the north hillside, above the North Classroom. The hives have since been moved to a more secluded area for safety.

On to 2000, GFE’s 10th anniversary year, where in Photo 2 (above) we see the original location of our beehives on the north hillside. The hill is still pretty wild here, and we can see this again in Photo 3 from August (below).  If you recognize this area, you’ll know that the lower area is much lusher than this now, too! The Tibouchina (princess flower) tree is still present twenty years later.

August 2000: The lower north garden area has taken shape, and the upper hillside is still mostly grass.

Jump forward to 2009, almost twenty years after GFE began, and we see in Photo 4 (below) a view is from the top of the center staircase (built in 2008). While in the distance we see the beginnings of the native hillside with the large Ceanothus trees to the lower left, the hillside planting is still developing. The aloe plants on to the lower right fo the staircase now line both sides of the stairs and are about five feet tall.

Winter 2009: A view from the top of the central staircase, which was built a year earlier. We see trees in the distance, but the area closest to the staircase is still taking shape, and there is not yet an upper hillside pathway.

In Photo 5, from March 20th, 2020, we see the well-developed native plant hillside on the highest part of the hill, with guardrails that were reconstructed in 2018. The path makes the hillside more accessible to the public as an educational, exploratory area. 

March 2020: This upper native plant pathway is just north of where the the winter 2009 photo was taken. This area is much more defined now, and the banister / guardrail was replaced in 2018.

In the last photo from our June 8, 2019 garden party, we see just how beautiful and full the hillside is after many years of slow and steady development, which includes the presence of a 47-tree fruit orchard. We hope when you visit GFE that you wander the stairs and paths of the hillside -- you’ll discover so much beauty there!

June 8, 2019: This photo, taken during our spring garden party, shows how after many years of steady work the hillside area is a lush, beautiful area that greatly contributes to the garden’s beauty. Photo credit: Stephanie Pressler