Page 2 - 2018 Sonoma County Gardener's Resource Guide

WHY this Gardeners Resource Guide...
When I started creating this guide, I was still a professional landscape gardener publishing the Gazette on the side. I got to spend other people’s money doing something I loved. I became especially fond of nurseries that propagated their own plants that I could rely upon for seasonal bloom, etc. If I planted a perennial in April, next year it would bloom in April.
Dear Readers,
I started this guide with small, locally-owned nurseries in order to bring business their way. My mission to keep people out of big-box stores where insects and diseases can be imported into our delicate, agricultural county is especially important, but as a gardener, I also want to help other gardeners purchase plants from reliable sources. Plants pushed to bloom then placed into our landscape do not thrive. I wanted to show gardeners that by purchasing locally-grown plants, they have a better chance at a thriving garden.
As my focus moved away from gardening and the Gazette became my primary way of making a living, this communication tool became that much more effective at supporting locally-owned garden businesses. Over time, I added other professionals who design, build and maintain gardens as well.
Because of my personal passion for habitat and sustainable gardening practices, I include articles on low-water use, choosing native plants, creating gardens that retain water rather than let it run off, etc. There are many reasons to garden using environmentally-sound practices. Even a small garden in a tiny back yard can provide habitat for birds, butterflies, bees and other pollinators.
Last year’s guide included many articles on fire-resistant landscapes and maintaining your property to reduce fire risk. It’s as if we knew it was coming. Rather eerie! We’ll keep those articles online so you can refer to them now that you know how very important that information can be. As people re-plant after the Tubbs Fire, they can do so with fire in mind.
Please learn from the articles included in this year’s guide. Support these locally-owned businesses and please thank our advertisers by purchasing goods and services from them. They make this guide possible, so refer to the MAP in the center and listings highlighted in large bold type.
Every issue of the Gazette has a gardening section with articles, and a gardeners calendar. Kellen Watson of Daily Acts writes a column on sustainable gardening practices, and we welcome guest authors.
Stay in touch at www.SonomaCountyGazette.com, LIKE us on Facebook... and THANK YOU for reading!
2 - www.sonomacountynurseries.com - 3/18