This is the continuation of my post about Bay Area artist Mat McGrath’s garden. Click here to see the front yard the way it looks right now, in late July 2026.
I already showed you the photo below in part 1, but it’s a great visual aid for orientation. The front yard is to the left of driveway, the slope on the right, and the back yard behind the van.
To help you visualize where the different areas in the back yard are located, here’s the 2021 listing photo that shows what the property looked like when Mat and Mali bought it. Each area in question is circled in yellow.
Just a couple of photos of the slope above the driveway (circled in yellow above):
The next area is right behind the gate:
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The back yard has a multi-level terraced retaining wall on one side (on the right in the photos below). This gives Mat and Mali extra space — a lot of extra space.
The planting area at ground level has gone through some significant changes. Mat has removed most of the soft-leaved succulents that used to live here (
check this photo from October 2024 for comparison) to better display his collection of found metal objects.
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| The concrete lounger is by Manos. |
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| The founder of Manos was a neighbor of Mat’s at his old place in the Berkeley Hills. |
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| The shadiest spot in the back yard is this corner next to the slider |
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| Gold fish in a large bowl, plus a beautiful selection of tropical foliage, including this spectacular Vriesea fosteriana |
Across the patio, against the wall of the two-story addition, one of the warmest spots in the garden (remember, this is Rodeo, a couple of miles from the Pacific, with a very mild climate where it rarely gets super hot or cold):
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| Reminder to myself: try Mangave ‘Mission to Mars’ and Furcraea mcdougalii in pots |
Mat loves recycled objects. Many came from
Urban Ore in Berkeley, just 15 miles (20 minutes) down the road.
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| Looking north, terraced retaining wall on the left |
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| Looking south, terraced retaining wall on the right. The white “rock” is by a Soma Stone by Manos. As I mentioned earlier, the founder of Manos was a neighbor of Mat’s at his previous house. |
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| Next area: up the steps and towards the upper deck on the right |
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| Steps up towards the upper garden |
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| The small tree on the right is Cussonia paniculata, a select clone that Flora Grubb carried a few years ago. It’s arguably the most beautiful form of the Canary Island cabbage tree. |
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| Cussonia paniculata, Flora Grubb clone. Most Cussonia paniculata I’ve seen tend to lean, but this one is much more upright, maybe because it branches relatively low, which distributes the weight more evenly. |
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| Just above the steps, to the left: shrubby impatiens, ferns... |
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| Billbergia flowers, large and complex |
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| Another ×Vriecantarea ‘Julietta’ |
Now we’re on the upper level of the back yard. The slope with the terraced retaining wall is outside of the frame on the left.
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The deck near the top of the slope is up next:
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| Standing on the deck, looking north |
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| Another Ensete ventricosum ‘Maurelii’ on the left |
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| Mat made the shovel sculpture |
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| Speaking of Mat, here he is |
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| The planting strip above the deck is packed with a huge variety of succulents as well as vines and shrubs |
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| Looking north from the far side of the deck |
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| Several kinds of leucadendrons planted in the strip below the deck |
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| Bromeliad wall |
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| Looking south towards the street |
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| The plantings below are on the slope above the driveway (more photos of this area in part 1) |
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| Check out the license plate on Mat’s van |
The remaining photos below are of the upper area of the back yard:
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| The plantings in this area are a combination of landscape succulents like agaves and aeoniums, tropical plants, and even some fruit trees |
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| Large-leafed and flowering tropicals thrive here, no doubt because of the sunny and mild climate and generous watering |
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| Alstroemeria ‘Indian Summer’ (on the right above and below) makes an appearance in several spots, both in the front yard and the back yard |
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| Mangave ‘Life on Mars’, a variegated sport of ‘Mission to Mars’ |
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| One last wide-angle shot looking northeast |
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| Graptopetalum paraguayense draping over an old tree fern trunk |
And finally, some drone footage Mat just posted on his
Farallon Gardens Instagram — short and sweet, and showing off his garden better than any of my photos can:
I’ll have another update of Mat’s garden in the late fall. In the meantime, check out my earlier posts if you haven’t already:
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To see more of Mat’s professional garden projects, go to the website of his business,
Farallon Gardens.
© Gerhard Bock, 2026. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.
It's a phenomenal garden from all viewpoints! I can't think of a succulent garden anywhere that could beat it.
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