Geared for Growing

Geared for Growing At Geared for Growing, we believe that great landscapes don’t just happen—they’re designed, built, and nurtured with care.

Geared for Growing has won over 75 awards since being in Sonoma County. Richard's goal is to build a high quality landscape every time. Geared for Growing has available expert artists and high-quality landscaping services to build pools, outdoor patios, waterfalls and real or fabricated fountains. Gardens, stone walls, boulder placement, flagstone, bluestone--real or fabricated, woodwork, arbors,

gazebos, trellises and fences are our specialties. Plantings of formal, natural, Japanese, cottage, wine country, deer resistant gardens, perennial gardens, theme gardens, herb and vegetable gardens, are areas we specialize in. We emphasize the basics of soil preparation, preparing it appropriately, massaging and managing it for optimum plant growth, erosion control and drainage. Irrigation techniques are properly applied for maximum control and application of water specific to plant needs. With a superb sense of design and artistry we can help guide you through the many choices available with the knowledge that allows you to make an informed decision. Also, we provide a 90-day warranty on the initial installation of plants and a one-year warranty on all other installations.

06/02/2026

Native landscapes create something bigger than a beautiful yard. They create habitat. There’s something especially rewarding about walking a property and hearing birds return, watching bees move through flowering salvias, or seeing a garden begin to feel alive in a completely different way.

06/02/2026

Perched high above Alexander Valley on a rocky hilltop in Healdsburg.

This property fought us every step of the way with hard rock and brutal soil conditions, but those are often the sites with the biggest transformation stories.

Now the space feels grounded, calm, and connected to the landscape around it:
• natural flagstone patio
• hand-set stone steps
• gravel pathways winding through the site
• drought tolerant plantings designed for long-term resilience

The goal was never to overpower the hilltop. It was to make the landscape feel like it had always belonged there.

43 years ago, Geared for Growing started with a single truck and a commitment to doing things right.That commitment hasn...
05/30/2026

43 years ago, Geared for Growing started with a single truck and a commitment to doing things right.

That commitment hasn't changed. The truck has been replaced a few times.

What has changed is understanding. Four decades of working in Sonoma County gardens teaches you things:

- Which plants actually thrive in Healdsburg's microclimate (and which are expensive experiments)
- How to read soil before you dig
- When to prune for flowers vs. when to prune for fruit
- Why the cheapest bid is rarely the best value

We've maintained estates through droughts, nursed gardens through frost events, and watched tiny seedlings become shade trees.

This isn't just our job. It's our craft.

If you've got a garden question, we've probably encountered it before. Drop us a message. We love talking plants.

05/29/2026

A beautiful landscape should work with California, not against it.

Creating a water conscious landscape doesn’t mean sacrificing beauty. In many ways, it creates landscapes that feel more natural, grounded, and timeless.

Some of the strategies we use:
• drought tolerant plant palettes
• hydrozoning plants by water needs
• drip irrigation where appropriate
• mulch to reduce evaporation
• gravel and permeable surfaces
• thoughtful spacing that allows plants to mature naturally
• improving soil health so water actually stays where it’s needed

The result is a landscape that uses less water, requires less intervention, and still feels lush and alive through the seasons.

Especially here in Sonoma County, designing responsibly is no longer a “nice to have.” It’s simply good landscape design.

05/29/2026

Falling in love with a plant that can't survive here is a gardener's heartbreak.

The opposite? Finding a plant that thrives without fuss, looks beautiful year-round, and supports the ecosystem around it. That's the promise of California natives.

For Sonoma County gardens, some of our favorites:

For dry shade:
- Western sword fern (Polystichum munitum)
- Coral bells native varieties (Heuchera)

For full sun and no irrigation:
- Coyote mint (Monardella villosa) - bees go crazy for it
- California fuchsia (Epilobium canum) - hummingbird magnet

For winter interest:
- Manzanita (Arctostaphylos) - stunning bark, early blooms
- Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) - red berries through December

For erosion control on slopes:
- Ceanothus (California lilac) - fast-growing, deep roots

The UC Master Gardeners' demonstration garden in Santa Rosa showcases dozens of native options. If you haven't visited, it's worth the trip.

Building a garden around plants that want to be here changes everything.

05/28/2026

33 years. One project, one crew, one early morning, and one hard-earned lesson at a time.

This is René Lopez, one of our foremen at Geared for Growing. For more than three decades, he’s helped shape not only landscapes, but the people around him.

René is the kind of leader every company hopes to have:
• steady under pressure
• deeply knowledgeable
• respected by the crew
• always willing to teach the next generation

A lot of what makes a great landscape company can’t be captured in a proposal or a photo gallery. It lives in the people who show up year after year and quietly raise the standard for everyone around them.

We’re incredibly grateful to have René on our team.

Most irrigation failures don't announce themselves. They reveal themselves in July, when you're staring at a brown patch...
05/27/2026

Most irrigation failures don't announce themselves. They reveal themselves in July, when you're staring at a brown patch wondering what went wrong.

February is when we catch them.

After winter rains, the ground has shifted. Emitters get clogged with sediment. Drip lines crack. Timer batteries die. That sprinkler head that's been hitting the fence instead of the lawn? Still hitting the fence.

Here's what we're checking on every property:
- Running each zone manually to spot weak heads and coverage gaps
- Cleaning filters and flushing drip lines
- Replacing cracked or UV-damaged components
- Adjusting run times for the transition into spring

In Sonoma County, we get roughly 30 inches of rain a year, almost all of it between November and April. By May, every drop of water your landscape gets will come from your irrigation system.

The time to find problems is now, not when everything's dying.

A project many months in the making. Excited to share more, especially as everything starts to grow in. Geared for Growi...
04/30/2026

A project many months in the making. Excited to share more, especially as everything starts to grow in. Geared for Growing handled everything from design to install to maintenance at this special property in the Chalk Hill hills.

02/20/2026

Some Fridays I’m buried in spreadsheets.
Some Fridays I’m researching rare fruit trees for a Michelin-star orchard.

Today was the second kind.
We love what we do.

On deck are Sudachi Lime, June Pride Peach, Zee Lady Peach, Challenger Peach, and Ume Plum.

.and.branch

02/09/2026

We’re often asked if we do builds for other designers. We absolutely do.

Here’s one we completed last year. Rooftop patio build at the Mill District, Healdsburg.

We brought this design to life — every material hauled up three stories, installed to last in full Sonoma County sun.

Great design deserves great ex*****on.

Planning a build? Link in bio.


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Address

12020 Old Redwood Highway
Healdsburg, CA
95448

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 6pm
Tuesday 7am - 6pm
Wednesday 7am - 6pm
Thursday 7am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

+17074734333

Website

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