Los Guilicos Demonstration and Teaching Garden

Los Guilicos volunteers at work. Photos by Sonoma County Master Gardeners.

The Los Guilicos Demonstration and Teaching Garden is located in the valley below the Mayacamas Mountains in east Santa Rosa. A five-year License Agreement between the County of Sonoma and The Regents of the University of California was signed in February 2023. The Agreement created the opportunity for the UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County to commit to renovating the County-owned Los Guilicos parcel into a Demonstration and Teaching Garden. Announcement and Press Release

Sonoma County Master Gardener volunteers will use the Los Guilicos parcel for propagation activities, educational workshops, and public plant sales. Phase One of the project, which began in spring 2023, entailed renovating the existing Valley of the Moon Children’s Home Garden, which was destroyed during the 2020 Glass Fire and then shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The renovated Children’s Garden debuted to the public in October 2023 during a family-friendly Jamboree event. 

For more information about the Los Guilicos Demonstration and Teaching Garden, including history, future plans, and community support, click:

Directions to the Los Guilicos Garden

The Los Guilicos Demonstration and Teaching Garden (and Children’s Garden) is located in east Santa Rosa near St. Francis Winery & Vineyards.

Google Maps and Waze

Use this address: 1 Los Guilicos Road, Santa Rosa, Calif.

Apple Maps and MapQuest

Use this address: Rancho Los Guilicos Road, Santa Rosa, Calif.

If coming from west of Santa Rosa:

• CA-12 E toward Sonoma/Napa.
• Left at N Pythian Road (three-way stoplight)
• Drive .2 miles
• Keep left at fork in road (Los Guilicos Road)
• Drive 450 yards
• Garden entrance gate is on left by wood sign: “Valley of the Moon Children’s Home Garden”

If coming from east of Santa Rosa:

• CA-12 W toward Santa Rosa
• Right at N Pythian Road (Three-way stoplight).
• Drive .2 miles
• Keep left at fork in road (Los Guilicos Road)
• Drive 450 yards
• Garden entrance gate is on left by wood sign: “Valley of the Moon Children’s Home Garden”

The Children’s Garden – Los Guilicos

The Children’s Garden, located in the Los Guilicos Demonstration and Teaching Garden in Santa Rosa, fills a need often not met in Sonoma County schools: An outdoor classroom experience that provides children the opportunity to learn about growing food, exploring habitats, and protecting the future of our environment. The Children’s Garden is ADA compliant and welcomes diversity in all forms — people, plants, animals, and habitats.

The Children’s Garden features 650 plants in four themed areas:

1. The Four Sisters (Corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers)
2. Pizza and Salsa
3. Herbs and Edibles
4. The Five Senses and The Four B’s (Birds, bees, butterflies, and bugs)

Key objectives:

• Provide vegetables from the garden to children at VMCC (Valley of the Moon Children’s Center).
• Educate Sonoma County children about sustainable gardening practices and environmental stewardship through our field trips.

For more information, including accomplishments and future plans for The Children’s Garden, click:

Events

Upcoming events

For information about scheduled events at The Demonstration and Teaching Garden and The Children’s Garden at Los Guilicos, follow the Events section on our homepage. Be sure to also follow us on social media (UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County).  

Recent events   

May 2024 – Master Gardeners held field trips for the children of friends and families on May 11 and with Kenwood Elementary School first graders on May 13.

Past events 

To view past Sonoma County Master Gardener events held at Los Guilicos, click here.