A brief history of the

Lincoln Slope

Hello There! I made this site for the garden at Lincoln Ave. & Georgia St. in San Diego, California. I've been gardening at this space since just before 2020. I've lived nearby since 2001 and for the most part this hill was just dirt and trash. Turning it into a garden has been an absolute dream.

I'm often asked how the garden came to be what it is now, so I thought a photo gallery would help explain. I've taken hundreds of photos, but I tried to narrow it down to just show the development. There's photos of plantings, friends, a ton of mulch, vandalism, rocks, more rocks, and giant rocks from construction sites!

I started with carrying rocks to the slope to build the trail. During covid, this was a kind of meditation. When I finally finished lining the trail with rocks, I planted my first plant on the slope (the bird of paradise at the bottom of the slope). I was inspired by a man named Xi, who planted loquat tree (and more) at the bottom of the slope. From the bird of paradise at the bottom, over the course of many years, I planted all the way to the top. Tons of cactus, succulents, native plants and more.

At some point, I started gardening the sidewalks above the slope on Georgia St. as well. They were full of trash and tall weeds and I wanted people walking up the slope to see something pretty when they reached the top. Similarly, I wanted people driving into the neighborhood from Lincoln to see something welcoming.

Around 2022, a very kind man name Pastor Lee started gardening as well. He took over the right side (going down the hill) and spent countless hours maintaining the whole area. He is such a gift to the slope and community. Hilariously, he and I fought off a trash dumping vandal for a long time.

Recently, after not seeing him for a few years, Xi has returned to planting on the slope. It's great to have him back. He tends to plant flowers and trees. Near the top of the slope, there's a big flowering bush that's held up by teepee of sticks. That's Xi!

Ok! Ok!  It's been wonderful to see the park grow and watch the community enjoy it. I'm super grateful to all the kind people who over the years have helped me - either with plants, rocks, water, or just encouragement. I have a lot more to do and look forward it.

All Photos - © 2024 Lincoln Slope

FAQs

To Beautify The Neighborhood I love - I've lived down the street since 2000 and walk a lot. I spend a lot of time with computer and often need to clear my head - do something tactile. The trail on this slope was often on my walks and was always kinda sad to see it covered in trash and unkempt. I was inspired by a man name Xi P. who had planted some loquat. He disappeared for few years after that ( I suspect due to covid), but has recently started planting again.

Mr. Lee arrived to the slope around 2022. He was a retired pastor at a local church (He also went by Pastor Lee). This very kind and gentle man took over the right side of the slope going down. He would also maintain a lot of the trail and the sidewalk. Incredibly, he was 97 years old when his wife asked him to stop risking injury on the slope. In early 2024, they moved to northern San Diego.

Toward the end of September, San Diego had a very hot couple of weeks. One night, the weather changed dramatically, dropping 20 degrees in a few hours. With that came very strong wind -- too much for this giant, heavy tree. It didn't snap, it was too healthy. It actually tore when it fell. I was absolutely gutted for days when this happened. I've since cut up the tree to dig out my plants and taken some joy in decorating the slope with logs from the tree.

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