Fields of Roses, A Fragrant Oasis and Blue Poppies!

Garden Valley Ranch

featured in Gardenwalks in California

INSIDERS' Guide, The Globe Pequot Press

Rosa 'Blanchefleur' by the Pond

Rosa 'Trolius'

Third Pergola ... Garden Valley Ranch

Columbines & Cardoon with Foxgloves

Another nostalgic post, as I recall traveling from Chicago to San Francisco in the mid-1990s, 

crossing the Golden Gate Bridge in a rental car to explore the beauty of  Napa, Sonoma, & Mendocino.

 Intent upon finding the best nursery display gardens for a book idea -  a project that began as a basic guide to Northern California gardens - I encountered Garden Valley Ranch for the first time and returned home to write about it in The Chicago Tribune.

By the time I signed a contract with publisher Michael Kesend for my first book, West Coast Gardenwalks, it had become a guide to coastal destinations from Vancouver to San Diego!

And the memorable journey planted the seed for a move to the Bay Area!

Archways in Fragrance Garden

Garden Valley Ranch Rose Field - 'Climbing Iceberg' on Colonnade in the distance.

Border & the house at GVR, formerly owned by renowned rose expert and author Ray Reddell.

Now home to Mark Grim and Ron Robertson, Garden Valley boasts a long mixed border

 - 220 by 14 ft - with a color scheme inspired by Gertrude Jekyll.

Link to Garden Valley Ranch

on Bay Area Tendrils 

Garden Travel Buzz 

- column on the right -

for information on garden tours,

cottage rental,

bare root roses from Garden Valley Nursery,

& chemical-free cut flowers treated with compost tea.