On an odd little corner surrounded by freeway onramps, new condos, and old Victorians  just on the edge of downtown Oakland-668  7th Street-can be found the most wonderful garden adorned with architectural features that were designed and constructed by the co-owners using recycled materials.

Garden Hortica, brainchild of Jeffrey Lim and long-time gardening friend David Le, held its grand opening today. Both Le and Lim came to this country as refugees, David from Vietnam at age 4, and Jeffrey from Malaysia as a teenager.

David’s family is in the construction business where he learned many of the skills he puts to use in the new business; and Jeffrey is a designer and master gardener who lives in a beautiful home he designed from the ground up near Lakeshore Avenue. Jeff incorporated art from China, Southeast Asia, and Japan into his home and has worked as an interior designer around the country. Jeff and David have also received awards for their presentations at the San Francisco Home and Garden Show.

After a difficult search for the just the right kind of space, David asked a friend with an empty lot if he could lease it for a community garden. Problems with permitting and the economic slowdown had prevented development of the space and it had turned into a de facto parking lot.

It took them barely two months to turn the barren triangle into an urban farm combined with a gracious outdoor living space where groups can gather for fun and educational activities.

Asking Jeff Lim about the uses for this type of community garden is akin to turning on a faucet, he brims over with ideas and enthusiasm for the concept that he and his partner are showcasing near downtown Oakland.

Lim points out that many urban farms or neighborhood plots are designed just for the purpose of growing fruits and vegetables without considering overall design. He believes that simple architectural details utilizing recycled materials combined with vintage furniture and ornamental plants will keep community members engaged  with their gardens while finding ways to also enjoy them as neighborhood gathering spots.

Jeff and David think that with the many empty lots near schools, their business could help turn these into small usable spaces where kids could learn to grow good food and market their products. When asked about their business model and whether a non-profit would work better for this use, Lim stated that this needs to be a “financially stable model” and that grants are too difficult to find and maintain.

They are willing to rent their delightful space for parties, meetings, and to offer classes to teachers and other community members. David said they will soon offer a salsa-making class (follow them on facebook for this and other upcoming events). They also plan to invite families and individuals to harvest tomatoes from their many plants for $2 a pound. That way these folks can still have fresh, reasonably priced fruit even if they don’t have time to grow their own.

Besides the gardening, outdoor space design, and potting mixtures, Garden Hortica is marketing its Green Rooms which are redesigned from shipping containers. Onto this they can add a green roof and salvaged sliding doors for a fun space with a little deck where you can have a party or a quiet read.

The wonderful garden gateway is another example of their design and sustainability concepts in 3-D. The blue arch on the red posts that created the gate was once an old wooden gang plank. The red bamboo poles in the bamboo curtain were leftover from a project and had been languishing in storage.

Lim says, “when you don’t have money, you look around and there’s so much (you can use).” He says that he and co-owner Le can check out local garage sales to help community members build their dream garden space. For example, their cinderblock garden wall is topped off with leftover furnace ducting cut open for plantings.

When asked whether they had requested or received help from Oakland’s Small Business Assistance Center, they told me that they had heard of it but did not utilize it for this venture.

Jeffrey Lim and David Le are passionate about gardens, about design, about sustainability and Oakland. Please visit them on weekends from 11 AM to 6 PM or by appointment. You can check their website, www.gardenhortica.com, find them on facebook at gardenhorticaplace, call 510-882-3390 to visit them at 668 7th Street.