Biography of Harland Hand


Harland Hand [1922-1998], inspired by the principles of fine art and rock formations in the High Sierra, designed this hillside garden with breathtaking views of San Francisco Bay.

Using concrete, curving lines and dramatic color combinations, Hand created an emotionally evocative space that houses an extraordinary plant collection.


July 17, 1922 - September 6, 1998

Born in Minnesota in 1922, Harland Hand built his first rock garden when he was eight. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. In 1947 he visited his Aunt Ellen in San Francisco and found the perfect gardening climate. He moved there a year later. After attending the University of California at Berkeley, where he earned a masters in fine art and life science, Hand became a science teacher in 1952.

In 1954, Hand acquired the El Cerrito property with spectacular 180° panoramic views. The narrow half-acre lot dropped 75 feet downhill for 274 feet. Covered with rocks and a thin layer of soil, there was an old garden in the top half and 40 eucalyptus trees in the bottom half. It presented a tremendous design challenge. On the budget of a school teacher, Hand looked for inexpensive building materials for the paths and hit on concrete. His first efforts evoked memories of the gray granite glacial washes of the High Sierra’s Silver Lake, his favorite place in nature. Over time, the garden became a mecca for visitors from around the world.

Hand was well-known as a plantsman as well as a designer. He was president of the California Horticultural Society, one of the founders of Pacific Horticulture, and a board member of the University of California Botanical Garden.