1. Western Hills Garden

    1. Western Hills Garden

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    Occidental, CA

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    Western Hills Garden

    4.9 (17 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

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    Memorial bench honors founders Marshall and Lester
    Barbara S.

    It had been many years since I visited this magical place. Open on weekends and by appointment, Kent and Hadley (the owners) graciously greeted us on a chilly February afternoon. The 3-acre botanical garden seems to be a natural wonder. Hard to imagine the visionaries. Marshall and Lester, who were inspired to create this garden. It was a joy to see Western Hills after so many years. The magic is still there. Gardeners, landscapers, nature lovers will all find a place to learn, rest, and retreat. Call ahead about visiting and available plants in season. The daily fee is worth every penny. Hundreds of plant varieties many very rare. Tucked away on Coleman Valley Road in Occidental, this is more than a day trip adventure.

    So beautiful here. Lovely weather when we went in July, and such beautiful amazing plants! We got a free bouquet of flowers for each of us just for coming, and my daughter got a cute little "magic crystal" for returning the magnifying glass that the worker gave her to look at the plants up close! Lovely little snack and restroom and seating area. Ponds and lovely things to see!

    Put this place on your list of "must" visits in Sonoma County. It is "slowly" opening up to public...you have to go to their website and make a reservation. Having just been purchased by new owners, the Press Democrat had a recent article titled "Wonderland Awakens." I am not a gardener...but it was a Wonderland! The plants, trees, flowers were so diversified. Highlights were the winding paths, statuary, a pond with lily pads, and comfortable chairs scattered about. Serene, peaceful, chirping birds...a slice of heaven.

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    1 year ago

    What a beautiful experience. Amazing garden. Hadley and Kent are amazing hosts. Very fun day trip that we just happened on by chance.

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    Ask the Community - Western Hills Garden

    Review Highlights - Western Hills Garden

    I have taken 2 nature based art classes there in the last year and those have been great too with excellent instructors.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    Excellent local garden center. I do native plant landscaping as a side business and have a degree…read morein plant and soil science, so I like to think I know what makes a good garden center. This particular location has a terrific selection of most types of plants. Lots of edible stuff like veggie starts and fruiting bushes and trees. The majority of the available plants are mix of Mediterranean and CA native landscaping plants with a handful of the standard shrubs/trees you'll find at every nursery in the U.S. like crepe myrtles and ornamental conifers. Also tons of herbaceous flowering perennials ranging from 4" pots up to 5 gallons. Also, a great house plant selection! I also believe this spot deserves some serious credit for their selection of native plants. One of the only spots in California you can readily purchase 4" starts of native annuals as well as cryptic and rare perennials. Just a couple days ago, I saw they were selling tomcat clover! That is just too cool. I also just bought a ground cover cultivar o CA buckwheat I've never even heard of. They clearly have someone in their procurement department who knows a good deal about natives. In terms of dry goods, they have a wide variety of pottery as well as all your standard garden center goods such as fertilizers, pest control, irrigation equipment, and general gardening supplies. What really tickles me is their bulk seeds. They have a full hallway with containers on either side with scoopers where you can buy any Lb amount of these seeds. They have tons of landscaping and pasture grass seed as well as some neat cover crop and cover crop mixes. My only complaint about this section is that not all labels have the scientific names. Some do, which is great since you know exactly the species that is being sold. However, one of the erosion control mix listed an annual "California festuca" and a perennial "California festuca". Unsure what species are being sold or if they are actually CA natives. Ultimately not a big deal and I'm sure the staff would be happy to get me the details. BUT if I made the labels...I may include the scientific name ;) All in all, this store and its other locations are a shining light in a dim world of big box stores selling garbage. You truly can find whatever you need for your projects here. I aways stop in when I'm in the area and buy a handful of things. I'll be a customer for as long as they are around!

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    Western Hills Garden - gardening - Updated September 2026

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