We are a shade plant forest experience
As you enter Northern California’s premiere shade plant nursery in a forest, the world seems to spin more slowly. You start feeling calmer as you walk along the garden trails. Maybe you discover a rare plant you have never seen before. Maybe the birdsong fills the canopy above your head. Your heart beat quiets and your lungs expand.
Wander in and explore the many blocks and seemingly endless rows of nursery selections under the life-sheltering shade of the forest canopy. Up to two miles of trails welcome you in among hidden forest treasures. Spend some time at one of our picnic tables or in the gazebo listening to the birds and insects that surround you. (Picnic tables and gazebo by reservation only.)
Hours and Location
- Find us enchantingly hidden away at 3970 Azalea Lane, just a few turns off Gravenstein Highway on the edge of Sebastopol, California.
- Parking is limited, so an early visit is advised.
- Open Thursday through Monday, 9 am to 4 pm, or by appointment.
Please be respectful of our generous neighbor-hosts. Observe speed limit signs and don’t park along the narrow street. (Watch for speed bumps and other unintended charms of a country road!)
Docent Tours
1st and 3rd Saturday of every month
10 – 11:30 AM
tickets $10
Space is limited. Sign up on our Events page
Take a guided walk with a horticulturist through the 7.5 acre Hidden Forest botanical reserve. Walk through magnificent rare trees and wondrous flowering plants on your way to see a spring-fed pond, a year-round creek, and a pre-historic wetland.
Tips to make the forest experience enjoyable for all
- Please don’t pick the flowers or plants
- A public restroom is available during business hours
- Friendly dogs on leash are allowed
- Stay on trails or in marked plant sections
- Feel free to ask our staff questions about available plants, plant care, and other shade garden advice. If we don’t know the answer, we’ll try our best to help you find it.
- Please keep children in sight
