When I was a child, my plant-obsessed parents would take my sister and me to any garden and nursery that was within reasonable distance from our home in Mill Valley, CA. One nursery we frequented, basically so my parents could buy obscure plants, required a journey through towering redwood trees and along winding roads. The trip felt like we were traveling far out to a hidden sanctuary. This was Western Hills Garden.
Recently I returned to the magical three-acre garden nestled in Occidental, eager to see if my childhood memories would resurface—verdant visions of hidden ponds, wooden bridges, and dense plantings. I was also excited to discover what the new owners, Hadley Dynak and Kent Strader, were doing to carry on the legacy. And though I visited in slumbering winter, the garden’s structures, the underlying design, the meandering paths—illuminated by soft filtered light through stately trees—all confirmed that Western Hills remains a true paradise for plant lovers, just the way I remembered it…