Working with Sonoma Succulents
Our Approach
to Succulent Garden Design
Designing succulent gardens is more art than science. The right mix of colors, textures, shapes and bloom cycles must be selected to create a drought tolerant garden that is beautiful year-round and supports a variety of pollinators. Knowledge of sun tolerance and frost hardiness for each plant is also essential for succulent gardens to thrive and remain low maintenance in our ever-changing climate. Here’s a summary of my approach to new projects.
Initial Consultation
Discovery Phase
Where your succulent garden journey begins. The initial consultation may include a visit to your property to evaluate the exposure, soil and drainage to ensure that your location is suitable for a successful succulent-forward garden design. Some locations won’t support many of these plants. (I’m looking at you, Rio Nido, and the moist, shady forests of Guerneville.) During the consultation, we will also discuss your goals, how we’ll work together and if we’re a good fit. Depending on your location and sun exposure, an initial consultation by phone or FaceTime may be more efficient.
Choose Your Plants
Inspiration Tour
Seeing is Believing
I also recommend taking a tour of 1-2 of my succulent gardens in the area, which feature hundreds of varieties of plants in different planting styles. This level of diversity allows you to explore and be inspired—and to see if certain varieties of plants speak to you more than others. During this tour, we can talk about frost hardiness, irrigation, favorite colors, pollinators, birds, pests, bloom seasons and how to design the garden so that it meets your goals in terms of color palette, architecture and pollinator attractors.
Values & Beliefs
Guiding Philosophy
I believe every homeowner can have a beautiful garden that conserves water and helps protect their home from wildfires. Because I lost my garden in a wildfire, I have some strong convictions about landscape design in today’s environment. These are my basic tenets underlying my landscape designs.