Sonoma County Gardeners Resource Guide Introduction
This guide to locally-owned garden businesses came about because I was once a professional gardener. Purchasing plants for clients was my kind of Retail Therapy. I found the best specimens at small nurseries where plants were born and raised right where they live the rest of their lives.
Want a coast plant? Go to a coast nursery. We used to have one in Tomales, but don’t fret - Mostly Natives moved to Point Reyes which is not much farther away and certainly worth the ride! Get lunch while you are out there!
I am a firm believer in California Native plants because they were born to live here. They adapt and they survive gardeners like I have become. One who doesn’t have time to garden! My go-to is CalFlora* in Fulton.
With my impending retirement, I look out my office window and know that by this time next year I will be on the other side of this wall with my hands covered in warming soil. I will use these lists to find the products I want for my long-neglected garden.
I buy Mango Mulch by the truckload from Grab n Grow* and have since I gardened for a living. We find materials and plants close to home to save time, gas, and to nurture businesses where we live.
I’m not a shopper by nature, but when I need Retail Therapy, even now, I go to Harmony Nursery* to their Deep Discount section where aging and pot-bound plants need to be rescued. Sometimes they come home and suffer more until I get them into larger pots or into the ground. But I have saved many lives this way and saved a lot of money in the process.
Providing habitat for birds and pollinators, insects and spiders is my passion. As my husband, Alan, says, I provide safe harbor for all things finned, feathered, and furry...I add scaled as well since I LOVE lizards and snakes. A few years back two boys had gopher snakes in a box to sell. I brought them home. I see holes in the ground but no snakes...and no gophers either! These are wonderful snakes to have around!
I love spiders and all insects - except flies and mosquitoes. Insects are a food source for so many other critters...birds, frogs, toads, other insects. A friend was telling me about an aphid infestation for which he applied insecticide. How many other beneficial insects will die in the process? Like killing mice and rats with poison that will work its way into the food chain and reap unintended consequences on innocent creatures who eat those poisoned pests.
We need to think beyond our own immediate need to the consequences of our actions. Of course, this philosophy and way of living could be applied to every aspect of life. Can you imagine living on a planet where people think of others and the impacts of our behavior before saying something or taking action? But that’s another topic entirely and has little to do with gardening.
There are many poems, cliche´s, etc. about the joys of gardening It’s not for everyone, but even non-gardeners can feel elation from watching something grow and thrive as a recipient of our time and attention.
To all those who get excited in spring, who bury our faces in the scent of soil, who find joy in shaping our environment with time, attention and energy…this guide’s for you...Enjoy!
* California Flora Nursery, 2990 Somers St, Fulton, 707-528-8813, calfloranursery.com
* Harmony Nursery & Supply, • 3244 Gravenstein Hwy North, Sebastopol, 707-823-9125 • 5400 Old Redwood Hwy N, Petaluma, 707-665-6345, harmonyfarm.com
* Grab N’ Grow Soil Products, 2759 Llano Rd, Santa Rosa, 707-575-7275, grabngrowsoil.com
Advertisers Index and Gardeners Resource Guide listings by service type
>> Advertisers Index & MAP - UPDATE 2020
Please use our Advertisers Index & MAP to find locally-owned garden businesses who make this FREE guide possible. They pay for the research and production of this guide that supports ALL local garden business. We appreciate their support encouraging Gazette readers to use local businesses when shopping and hiring services. THANK YOU!
>> Nurseries & Plant Propagators UPDATE 2020
Supporting locally-owned nurseries is important not just for their economic health, but also for the health of Sonoma County’s agricultural heritage. When we purchase plants that have been grown outside our area, we risk importing insects and diseases that could negatively effect our farms and agricultural businesses. Please support these nurseries and plant propagators who grow plants meant to thrive in our unique climate and fragile environment.
