our gardens
Following no preconceived master plan, the foundation for Stoney Bottom's spectacular gardens was laid almost two decades ago. The retired head of Strybing Arboretum in San Francisco and his wife spent 20+ years building their own heaven here in Boonville. It began with a 4-year, hand-on-shovel, property clearing, followed by another 2 years of infrastructure design and installation. The ensuing 12 years saw the 6-acre blank canvas transformed, through careful design and passionate execution, into a stunning botanical oasis with an extensive network of pathways connecting gardens and green spaces with the property’s three homes.
Based on an English strolling model, the gardens and rolling lawns are planted with hundreds of specimen plants from around the world, some of which are rare and unusual. Separate garden “zones” include an agave garden, a raised-bed edibles garden, a conifer garden, redwood grove, maple grove, fruit tree grove, bamboo grove, and young olive tree grove. There are approximately 100,000 flowering bulbs which have naturalized from more than 6,000 bulbs of different varieties, offering vivid pops of color throughout the year. The property is completely deer-fenced, with gated access to 1,100 running feet along Anderson Creek.
Garden Highlights
- A dramatic single alley of deciduous maples
- 65 ornamental trees including:
- Ash
- Bays
- Black walnut
- Cedars
- Conifers
- Dogwoods
- Gingkoes
- Japanese Maples
- Native oaks
- Truffle-inoculated English oaks
- A spectacular collection of unusual plants & bulbs including:
- Azaleas
- Native lilies
- Day lilies
- Hellebores
- Ornamental grasses
- Peonies
- Rhododendrons
- Wildflowers
Press for Stoney Bottom
