100% Employee Owned
Or call us at 510-439-3700
Copyright © 2022 Gardeners’ Guild Inc. All rights reserved.
From the Blog
Subscribe
Get expert advice and the latest news from landscape industry insiders. We cover both commercial and residential landscapes. Includes special reports and news about landscape trends, water conservation, low maintenance gardens, tree care and plants.
By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
What will Doyle Drive look like when it’s complete ?
/in Commercial Landscapes, Landscaper San Francisco Bay Area, Richmond CaliforniaDo you drive into San Francisco regularly through Marin? I do – often enough to watch the progress of the Doyle Drive project. Initially it annoyed me. The traffic and the construction mess. Now I’m in awe of the magnitude of the tunnel, new road and the engineering genius it took to make this happen. […]
Community Spirit Beautifying Solano Playlot
/in Commercial Landscapes, Landscape Design, Landscaper San Francisco Bay Area, Richmond California, Richmond LandscaperA group of dedicated Richmond residents are working hard to beautify their community park called the Solano Playlot. Located at the corner of 38th and Solano Avenue, the park has been successful in getting the support of the city for improvements. Gardeners’ Guild got involved earlier this year when we volunteered to develop a plan […]
Understanding Thatch in the Lawn
/in Commercial Landscapes, Irrigation & Water Management, Landscaper San Francisco Bay Area, Richmond LandscaperFor those of you who have lawns, you know they are time consuming to care for in terms of water, fertilization and weed abatement. Does the grass feel spongy under your feet? Do you notice it has brown patches? The brown patches can be an irrigation problem, pest or a cultural issue. Or – it […]
New Nonresidential Building Legislation Delayed
/in Commercial Landscapes, Landscaper San Francisco Bay Area, Richmond LandscaperNew State of California legislation will affect a large number of building owners. Assembly bills 1103 and 541 adopted by the California Energy Commission December 2012 will begin phasing in this July for nonresidential buildings. It requires owners of nonresidential buildings to disclose energy consumption through the Energy Star Portfolio Manager software as part of […]
Update on the California Delta Project
/in Commercial Landscapes, Irrigation & Water ManagementGardeners’ Guild’s January newsletter I wrote about the California Delta Project – known as the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). Since it effects a large portion of the state and has to do with water I was curious about the why, how and how much. About the project – Governor is proposing that […]
Sheet Mulching in a Richmond California Landscape
/in Commercial Landscapes, Irrigation & Water Management, Landscaper San Francisco Bay Area, Organic Soil Amendments, Rebuilding Soil, Richmond California, Richmond LandscaperBelow are photos of our sheet mulching project on Carlson Blvd, Richmond Annex! Located between San Pablo Avenue/El Cerrito to the east, Carlson Boulevard is the main thoroughfare through what is referred to as the the annex, connecting downtown Richmond with downtown El Cerrito. Some sheet […]
Gardeners’ Guild Installs New Landscape on Carlson Blvd Richmond
/in Commercial Landscapes, Irrigation & Water Management, Landscaper San Francisco Bay Area, Rebuilding Soil, Richmond LandscaperRichmond Annex is a neighborhood in southeast Richmond. It is mostly residential and located between San Pablo Avenue/El Cerrito to the east. Carlson Boulevard is the main thoroughfare through the annex, connecting downtown Richmond with downtown El Cerrito. This corridor is experiencing a rebirth and Gardeners’ Guild won the bid to install the landscape into […]
UC Berkeley Cherry Trees In Bloom!
/in Commercial Landscapes, Landscaper San Francisco Bay Area, Rebuilding Soil, Richmond LandscaperUpon being told that the Cherry trees were in bloom at UC Berkeley, I made sure to head over there the very next day and take pictures. What Cherry trees? And, where? They are located at the Westgate entrance at UC Berkeley. Gardeners’ Guild planted them – thirty-five of them! It is a project to […]
Phase I – Landscape Renovation
/in Commercial Landscapes, Irrigation & Water Management, Landscaper San Francisco Bay Area, Rebuilding Soil, Richmond California, Richmond LandscaperThis is Phase 1 of a complete landscape renovation project in Emeryville, for a condominium association. It is being done in conjunction with a building renovation This phase includes an irrigation upgrade, excavating all the soil in planter beds, new shrubs, trees and ground cover. It is scheduled for completion around the end of February […]
Gardeners’ Guild Receives National & California State Awards for Landscaping Project
/in Landscape Design, Landscaper San Francisco Bay Area, Richmond California, Richmond LandscaperThis year, Gardeners’ Guild has been honored with two prestigious awards this year for its work on a full-scale landscape renovation for a home in the Oakland Hills. The national award, presented by the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) is a first-place award in its category. The California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA) presented the state award […]
What Makes a Good Irrigation Technician
/in Commercial Landscapes, Irrigation & Water Management, Richmond LandscaperThis was an article written by one of our managers and was recently printed in an industry trade journal. It speaks volumes about our company’s irrigation know-how. By Paul Thunstrom As an irrigation technician, you will be viewed by your clients and colleagues as a technically advanced problem solver. You will be expected to […]
West Gate Cherry Tree Planting Project
/in Commercial Landscapes, Irrigation & Water Management, Landscaper San Francisco Bay Area, Rebuilding SoilRecently I drove along with our President and Director of Business Development to one of our current landscape installation projects in the East Bay. It’s the West Gate Cherry Tree Project in Berkeley. In fact, it is right outside of the west entrance to UC Berkeley. The purpose of the project is to recognize the […]
Irrigation Audits
/in Commercial Landscapes, Irrigation & Water Management, Landscaper San Francisco Bay Area, Richmond LandscaperAn irrigation audit – essentially – is an evaluation of an irrigation system’s performance. The results provide a road map on how to improve irrigation performance. It takes a trained professional, knowledgeable in irrigation and the audit process, to develop an effective irrigation audit. There are three steps in developing an irrigation system […]
GGI 40th Anniversary Picnic
/in Commercial Landscapes, Richmond CaliforniaOn Saturday, September 30th, the Gardeners’ Guild employees celebrated its 40th anniversary together at the Miller-Knox Regional Park in Point Richmond. It was a fun-filled day – delicious food like barbeque chicken and beef; face painting, cash prizes and featuring a sturdy piñata. It took several tries before one – very strong boy – […]
Spain’s Spectacular Living Wall
/in Landscape DesignI recently returned from a vacation in Spain. During the three days that I spent sightseeing in Madrid I happened on to a monster of a living wall that I had to share about. It’s size and beauty juxtaposed against a rust colored building and the bright blue sky was breathtaking. Look at the photo […]
Science Says Indoor Plants are Good for our Health
/in Commercial Landscapes, Interior PlantsWhy is it that many of us say we feel better when we are around nature? One reason is that plants actually make us feel better; less stressed, more productive and healthier. If you look at some of the interior plant displays in commercial buildings in San Francisco or the East Bay you can’t help […]
Discovering Richmond – Past and Present
/in Landscaper San Francisco Bay Area, Richmond CaliforniaYesterday was Richmond’s third annual Economic Summit. An important event for the Richmond Chamber of Commerce, it was an opportunity to learn about the city’s communities, businesses, and some fun facts about its history and geography. The Summit was broken out into two bus tours of the city – one was focused on its communities; […]
Color at Ghirardelli Square
/in Landscape Design, Landscaper San Francisco Bay AreaGhirardelli Square has been a client for a long time. We are proud of our achievements there and it’s a great example of the difference that color makes in the landscape. Color brings excitement to the landscape; it can create a mood and it provides interest through the seasons. Can you imagine looking at this […]
Rebuilding Soil Organically
/in Landscaper San Francisco Bay Area, Organic Soil Amendments, Rebuilding Soil, Richmond LandscaperWe receive calls from many people throughout the San Francisco Bay Area who have poor soil. It happens enough that we thought people might be interested to know more about the process of rebuilding. If you have the following problems chances are poor soil is the culprit: Soil is cracked and dried in the summer […]
Celebrating 40 Years – Part One
/in Landscaper San Francisco Bay AreaIf you’ve received an email from Gardeners’ Guild in the last few months you might have noticed our logo has changed from blue to gold and says “celebrating 40 years”. Forty years is a milestone for us. We are so proud. Our story is inspiring. It is not only our number of years in business […]
Being Serious about Safety While Having Fun
/in Landscaper San Francisco Bay AreaWednesday morning May 16th: The air was cool, skies gray and winds brisk; typical summer weather pattern for Richmond. Gardeners’ Guild teams set up tents, tables; chairs and before 8am the barbecue was grilling chicken and beef samples for the early taste testers. This wasn’t just any company picnic – it was Gardeners’ Guild’s annual […]
Gardeners’ Guild Employee Garden 2012
/in Landscaper San Francisco Bay AreaGGI has an employee garden. We are in our second season! So far, this spring, we are planting tomatoes, celery, carrots, eggplants. Next we will add beans, beets and zucchini. It’s a team effort with Jeanne Phelan, our Purchasing Administrator, leading. She has been ordering the plants and actually been the main driver of this […]
Earth Day Celebrations!
/in Landscaper San Francisco Bay AreaEarth Day 2012 is more like Earth Month! Gardeners’ Guild has participated in a number of events last week and this week. Among them were Ghirardelli Square’s Fourth Annual “Ghirardelli Goes Green”. We also had a table at One Market Plaza, Opera Plaza and Thursday we will be at 505 Montgomery. We had a table […]
What do employees say is their most important benefit?
/in Landscaper San Francisco Bay AreaIn more than one survey that we have reviewed – health benefits is number one. It tops all benefits in all age groups – baby boomers, Gen Xers and Gen Y. The pie chart represents a survey performed by Lawn & Landscape Magazine. It shows us that a only a small percentage of companies our […]
Giving Back to our Veterans
/in Landscaper San Francisco Bay AreaMany veterans have a difficult time after returning from combat. Unemployment and post-traumatic stress are common stressors and put veterans at risk for homelessness. In fact, there is a greater rate of homelessness among veterans than civilians. The North Bay Veterans Resource Center, Santa Rosa, provides much needed services including transitional housing for homeless […]
Safety Training, Commaraderie and delicious Carne Asada
/in Landscaper San Francisco Bay AreaAt Gardeners’ Guild, the San Francisco Bay Area’s premier Landscape Management Company, safety is more than a first-aid kit and a few fire extinguishers. GGI takes safety seriously, and truly cares about the welfare of its more than 150 employee-owners, whose motto is “Safety is our Culture”. On Wednesday, May 18, all 150 of us […]
A Field of Dried Grass & Weeds – Transformed!
/in Landscaper San Francisco Bay AreaOnce a field of dried grass and weeds it’s now a four-acre oasis of cool green grass, mulch and drought resistant plantings with walking trails, picnic areas, open space, a gazebo and colorful play structures. Northgate Park is a brand new park in Vallejo and Gardeners’ Guild is proud of its work on this large […]
Bella Vista Apartments Enjoy Big Water Savings!
/in Landscaper San Francisco Bay AreaBella Vista is beautiful apartment complex in Richmond. It is the winner of the GEMM (Greater Excellence in Management and Maintenance) Awards of the Greater East Bay. The property is 40 acres and much of the landscaping is turf. When Gardeners’ Guild started its service, May, 2009, Bella Vista had high water bills and the […]
Getting Paid to Remove Your Lawn? You can be in Alameda County
/in Landscaper San Francisco Bay AreaThe Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency has started a program called “Lawns be Gone!” This program provides rebates to customers with specific criteria to replace lawns with drought resistant landscapes. In order to be eligible, one must be a customer in a participating agency. These agencies include: Alameda County California Water Service Company […]
Gardeners’ Guild Donates to Community Food Bank
/in Landscaper San Francisco Bay AreaThe Gardeners’ Guild ESOP (Employee Stock Option Plan) Communications Team wanted to help the Contra Costa and Solano Food Bank in their efforts to provide food during the Christmas holiday. The organization brought over their bins and starting Monday, December 27th, we began filling them up! We now have the final tally: $100.00 food contribution […]
The Environment Benefits of Landscapes
/in SustainabilityLandscape for Life website states that – “every year healthy landscapes provide $33 trillion worth of natural services, including natural water storage and flood control-nearly twice the global gross national product of $18 trillion”. Landscape for Life, http://www.landscapeforlife.org/, is an organization based on the principles of the Sustainable Sites Initiative, the first rating system for […]
Fall is Tree Pruning Season
/in Landscaper San Francisco Bay AreaAutumn is the best time for a few reasons: Once leaves have fallen off a tree it is easier to see cracks, defects and deadwood. Safety – potential hazards should be removed before winter storms. Reasons for pruning: to remove damaged, dead or structurally weak limbs, improve tree’s health and prevent property damage. It also […]
Making a Difference for our Industry
/in Landscaper San Francisco Bay AreaGardeners’ Guild is proud to have people on its team like President, Kevin Davis. Over the years he has volunteered much of his time helping the Professional Landscape Network (PLANET) to improve its certification program. Offering certification training is huge benefit for landscape contractors and their clients. It is also give employees greater career development […]