Sonoma’s public gardens and nurseries come alive in early summer, with a bounty of blossoms both rare and recognized. Make a day of it with your loved ones — for Mother’s or Father’s Day, a special graduation or just because.

Check out some of our favorite local public gardens below, as well as a preview of the vibrant blooms in store in the gallery above.

For rare Asian plants

Sonoma Botanical Garden

Glen Ellen

Founded in 1987 from wild seeds collected on plant expeditions all over Asia, the gardens here showcase an expansive collection of species, including many native plants from California in addition to the Asian collections. A focus on conservation has long been a part of Sonoma Botanical Garden’s ethos. Through August, the Ribbit Exhibit is a whimsical and family friendly show of largescale copper frog sculptures scattered throughout the gardens, and there’s a new native plant demonstration garden, too.

12841 Highway 12, Glen Ellen. sonomabg.org

For secret pathways

Hidden Forest Nursery

Sebastopol

With 2 miles of trails that wind through the 7.5-acre reserve, Hidden Forest Nursery feels like a magical secret garden—and a top nursery where gardeners can purchase rare varieties of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, and Japanese maples. Guided docent tours are available the first and third Saturday morning of each month.

3970 Azalea Lane, Sebastopol. 707-823-6832, hiddenforestnursery.com

To wander a labyrinth

Bees N Blooms

Santa Rosa

It’s a lavender wonderland at this sunny garden on the Santa Rosa plains. Bring a picnic, watch the baby geese, and wander a labyrinth planted with different varieties of lavender timed to bloom in the early, middle, and late season. The farm’s annual Lavender Daze visits, which require an advance ticket, start May 18. New this year, the farm stays open certain evenings for sunset lavender-viewing.

3883 Petaluma Hill Road, Santa Rosa. 707-293-8293, beesblooms.com

The dreamiest lavender

Monte-Bellaria di California

Sebastopol

There is nothing quite like the purple of a lavender field in prime bloom. Monte-Bellaria considers the time through mid-June as their “green season,” and they’re open Saturdays and Sundays, usually without an advance ticket. Starting in mid-June, the “high bloom” season, you need to purchase advance-timed tickets online. It’s worth it, though—the sweeping hillside gardens are extraordinary, and there are olive groves and beehives to learn about as well. 

3518 Bloomfield Road, Sebastopol. monte-bellaria.com

For Mother’s Day

Garden Valley Ranch

Petaluma

Other than snagging an invitation to a wedding (the 5-acre ranch hosts some of the prettiest events in the county), our favorite way to experience these gardens is visiting for Mother’s Day, when the ranch opens to families for flower foraging and BYO picnics at tables set with linen cloths and surrounded by blooms. There’s also a cottage that can be booked for overnights.

498 Pepper Road, Petaluma. 707-7950919, gardenvalley.com

For community and art

Western Hills Garden

Occidental

In 2022, Hadley Dynak and Kent Strader purchased this 3-acre historic garden, first planted over 60 years ago. The couple, their friends, and local volunteers are gently remaking the spaces and bringing in new ways to gather. In May, the owners will host a series of classes on cyanotype printmaking, and earlier this spring, they paired up with Occidental foodie favorite Morihouse to offer an equinox meal of rice, green tea, tofu, and foraged herbs.

16250 Coleman Valley Road, Occidental. westernhillsgarden.com