Garden Guides by Geared for Growing

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40 guides

Local Guides
Preparing Your Sonoma County Garden for Fall
A practical starting point for fall planting, irrigation adjustments, and the transition from summer crops to a cool-season garden.
Planting Guides
What to Plant in May in Sonoma County
May is one of the most productive months in the Sonoma County garden calendar — and one of the most consequential.
Local Guides
Landscape Maintenance in Healdsburg, CA: What to Expect from a Professional Service
Healdsburg has one of the most demanding landscapes in Sonoma County. The combination of hot, dry summers, heavy winter rains, clay soils, and the visual…
Water & Drought
Water-Wise Landscaping for Sonoma County Homes
Sonoma County homeowners face a landscaping challenge that most of the country does not: a climate that delivers nearly all of its annual rainfall between…
Design & Ideas
Landscape Design in Santa Rosa, CA: What to Know Before You Start
Santa Rosa is Sonoma County’s largest city, and its residential landscape character reflects that complexity.
Local Guides
Summer Garden Care in Sonoma County
Summer in Sonoma County is not a monolith. Drive thirty minutes from the Healdsburg town square toward the coast and the temperature can drop twenty degrees…
Design & Ideas
Patio and Outdoor Living Design for Sonoma County Homes
The patio is often the most used square footage on a Sonoma County property — and among the most underdesigned.
Design & Ideas
Privacy Screening Plants for Sonoma County Gardens
Privacy in the Sonoma County landscape is a complicated thing. Properties here range from dense subdivision lots in Santa Rosa and Windsor to sprawling wine…
Design & Ideas
Ornamental Grasses for Sonoma County Gardens
Ornamental grasses have become one of the defining elements of sophisticated California garden design — and for good reason.
Planting Guides
What to Plant in April in Sonoma County
April is the turning point in Sonoma County. The rains begin to taper, soil temperatures climb through the 55- to 65-degree range, and the county’s famously…
Design & Ideas
Front Yard Landscaping Ideas for Sonoma County Homes
Your front yard is the first thing people see — and in Sonoma County, the standard for what a well-kept front yard looks like has shifted meaningfully in the…
Design & Ideas
Backyard Landscaping Ideas for Sonoma County Homes
A Sonoma County backyard has the potential to be genuinely extraordinary. The climate allows outdoor living nine months of the year, the terrain creates…
Cost Guides
Landscape Design Fees in Sonoma County: Compare the Scope
Understand design deliverables, revisions, site information, and construction coordination before comparing landscape design proposals.
Cost Guides
Garden Maintenance Costs: How to Compare Care Plans
Compare garden-care proposals by visit scope, seasonal work, communication, and exclusions rather than a monthly figure alone.
Water & Drought
Drip Irrigation in Sonoma County: How It Works and Why It Matters
In Sonoma County, drip irrigation isn’t a luxury upgrade — it’s the practical answer to a dry summer climate, increasingly strict water use restrictions, and…
Cost Guides
Retaining Wall Planning and Cost Factors in Sonoma County
Understand access, drainage, structure, materials, and approvals before comparing retaining-wall proposals for your property.
Cost Guides
Outdoor Kitchen Costs: Build a Clear Project Scope
Plan appliances, utilities, surfaces, shelter, and access together to understand what an outdoor-kitchen proposal should include.
Water & Drought
The Best Drought-Tolerant Plants for Sonoma County Gardens
Planting a beautiful garden in Sonoma County does not require fighting the climate.
Design & Ideas
Mulch Guide for Sonoma County: Wood Chips, Gorilla Hair, DG, and Rock Compared
Mulch is one of the most consequential decisions a Sonoma County property owner makes for their landscape, yet it rarely gets the careful thought it deserves.
Planting Guides
How to Plan a Cut Flower Garden in Sonoma County
A cut flower garden is one of the most personally rewarding things you can grow on a Sonoma County property.
Water & Drought
Lawn Alternatives for Sonoma County: What to Plant Instead of Grass
A traditional cool-season lawn was never particularly well-suited to Sonoma County.
Planting Guides
Planning a Vegetable Garden in Sonoma County: A Practical Guide
A vegetable garden in Sonoma County is not a compromise. It is not the contingency plan of someone who could not grow a lawn.
Planting Guides
How to Prep a Raised Bed for Spring in Sonoma County
By the time February fades into March across Sonoma County, something shifts in the air — the afternoons stretch a little longer, the ground thaws from its…
Planting Guides
Spring Rose Care in Sonoma County: Pruning, Feeding, and First Spray
Sonoma County rose growers enjoy a climate that most of the country can only dream about — long, dry summers, mild winters, and the reliable maritime…
Design & Ideas
Decomposed Granite vs. Granitecrete: Which Is Right for Your Sonoma County Landscape?
If you have spent any time looking at wine country gardens, estate driveways, or well-designed Sonoma County landscapes, you have almost certainly walked on…
Design & Ideas
The Best Low-Maintenance Plants for a Sonoma County Garden
Sonoma County’s climate is genuinely unusual. Hot, dry summers. Mild, wet winters.
Cost Guides
Irrigation Costs: Repair, Upgrade, or Replace?
Compare irrigation proposals by diagnosis, zone design, controls, installation, and the handover your garden will need.
Planting Guides
What to Plant in March in Sonoma County: A Local Gardener’s Guide
March is the month when Sonoma County’s garden stops holding its breath. The last frost dates are receding — though not entirely gone — soil temperatures in…
Planting Guides
What to Plant in February in Sonoma County: A Local Gardener’s Guide
February in Sonoma County is one of those months that tricks newcomers. The hills are emerald green from winter rains, the air still bites on early mornings,…
Cost Guides
Budgeting for a Sonoma County Landscape Project
Separate design, construction, approvals, and ongoing care to build a useful budget for a Sonoma County landscape project.
Cost Guides
Patio Installation Costs: What Belongs in the Proposal?
Compare patio materials alongside excavation, base preparation, drainage, access, and finishing work to understand the full scope.
Planting Guides
Best Ground Covers for Shade in Sonoma County
Got a shady spot where grass will not grow? You are not alone. Under trees, along north-facing walls, and in narrow side yards, lawn grass struggles.
Fire Safety
Fire-Smart Landscape Planning in Sonoma County
Plan defensible space with current agency guidance, careful material choices, ongoing maintenance, and attention to the individual property.
Water & Drought
Xeriscaping Your Front Yard: A Complete Guide for Sonoma County
Xeriscaping isn’t about rocks and cacti. Done right, a xeriscaped front yard is lush, colorful, and inviting — it just doesn’t need much water to stay that…
Cost Guides
Lawn Replacement Costs: Plan the Whole Garden
Plan lawn removal, irrigation changes, planting, and establishment together, and check water-provider approvals before work begins.
Design & Ideas
Hardscape vs. Softscape: What’s the Difference?
When landscape designers talk about your property, you will hear two words over and over: hardscape and softscape.
Planting Guides
February in Sonoma County: Why Bare-Root Season is Your Best Planting Opportunity
February looks quiet, but it is one of the most important months in a Sonoma garden.
Local Guides
The Complete Guide to Landscape Design in Santa Rosa, CA
Santa Rosa sits at the heart of Sonoma County wine country, where the climate creates both opportunities and challenges for homeowners who want beautiful…
Design & Ideas
Planning an Outdoor Kitchen in Sonoma County: What to Know Before You Build
Sonoma County climate is made for outdoor cooking. Three-season dining, Wine Country entertaining, farm-to-table culture — an outdoor kitchen just makes sense…
Water & Drought
Drought-Tolerant Landscaping in Sonoma County: A Complete Guide
Water is not unlimited in Sonoma County. Between drought years, water restrictions, and rising costs, every homeowner eventually asks the same question: How…

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