February is a wonderful month for Tri-Valley gardeners. While people in other regions of the United States are struggling with snow and ice, Hacienda residents and tenants are able to take advantage of the development’s lovely landscaping and recreation areas. The greenery at Hacienda in February is possible thanks to the Tri-Valley’s largely Mediterranean climate. That makes the region a paradise for gardeners as well as those who simply enjoy viewing an abundance of beautiful plantings.

Gardening Resources

The Tri-Valley Waterwise website is among the region’s excellent gardening resources. The website shows visitors any rebates available for irrigation controllers as well as for homeowners wanting to transform a water-thirsty lawn to a beautiful, low-water landscape. Waterwise highlights climate-appropriate and drought-tolerant plants, trees, and grasses that thrive locally. Photo galleries showcase native plants in inspirational designs used for commercial and public spaces as well as home gardens. The website is sponsored by Zone 7 Water Agency, the agency that works with the cities of Livermore, Pleasanton, and the Dublin-San Ramon Services District.

Both beginning and experienced individuals can deepen their knowledge of the topic by joining one of the many groups devoted to gardening. The Livermore-Amador Valley Garden Club (LAVGC) is the largest gardening group in the region. The nonprofit educational organization serves Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton, San Ramon, and Sunol. LAVGC encourages interest in all phases of home gardening and works to promote better horticultural practices, civic beauty, and the conservation of natural resources.

Members garden for fun and purpose “while working together to share knowledge and promote environmental responsibility,” according to officials of the organization, which includes special interest groups in the areas of Edible Gardening, Floral Design, Garden Tours, and Seed Sharing. Members take tours to see outstanding gardens, nurseries, and to attend horticultural events. The group also offers a variety of ways to volunteer.

To thrive, many public gardens depend on outside horticultural help. One example is the Sensory Garden, next to the Pleasanton Senior Center, which was created by volunteers from LAVGC. Plants in the Sensory Garden have been selected for their appeal to one or more of the five senses, including sound, to delight visitors. Fertile GroundWorks, Granada Native Garden, and Sunflower Hill Garden are among the community projects that welcome volunteers. The Granada Native Garden in Livermore, for example, is a demonstration garden for native California plants. The now-vibrant landscape began as a desolate plot of ground. Its transformation was made possible by volunteers, who removed all non-native vegetation and replaced it with site-appropriate plantings.

Livermore’s Fertile GroundWorks is another charitable and educational nonprofit. The Garden of Grace, the group’s main teaching garden, is located on land provided for that use by Asbury United Methodist Church. Working with local community kitchens and food pantries, the group operates year-round to provide more than 28,000 pounds of organic produce each year to feed the poor and homeless in the Tri-Valley. Fertile GroundWorks also provides education and support to local schools, corporations, and other community groups to help them create and sustainably operate their own gardens.

Located at Hagemann Ranch in Livermore, the Sunflower Hill Garden broke ground in 2015 with the mission to provide educational and vocational horticulture opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities. Each year the garden produces thousands of pounds of fresh, organic produce, which is planted and harvested by program participants. Over 90% of the produce is donated to local nonprofits. The remainder is donated to program participants and community volunteers as well as sold to the public at the group’s Harvest Stand.

Those who long to plant a tiny bit of land can also consider a different type of community program. Pleasanton, Livermore, and San Ramon are among the Tri-Valley cities that offer garden plots for rent. Pleasanton’s community garden is located at Val Vista Community Park and is home to 40 patches. The Livermore Area Recreation and Park District offers 70 garden plots at Sycamore Grove Park. San Ramon’s Crow Canyon Gardens are located near San Catanio Creek on the south side of Crow Canyon Road. Each city has its own rules regarding rental of its gardening plots.

Pleasanton Demonstration Garden

The UC Master Gardener Program of Alameda County offers a wealth of expertise, educational programs, and online resources for the community, which are all run by volunteers. The program currently has six established public demonstration gardens in Alameda County. After its completion, the new 1.3-acre Pleasanton Education Garden will be the largest Tri-Valley demonstration garden yet.

The garden, a project created in partnership with the City of Pleasanton, is located on Laguna Creek Lane near the intersection of Valley Avenue. At this still-early stage of development, it needs a great deal of additional support, according to Allyson Greenlon, Master Gardener and Urban Ag Coordinator for Alameda County, University of California Cooperative Extension. The primary goal for the Alameda County group this year is raising $100,000 for a fence around the property.

“A fence is necessary for us to start working within the space thereafter,” says Greenlon. “We can't build beds, and we can't create a space for education without having some sort of enclosure. The fence is essential for pest exclusion and for building infrastructure to support education. These plans model similar efforts in Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties, which have successfully developed gardens at this scale and from whom we learned that the proper fence is crucial to success.”

To keep rodents and other animals out of future vegetable beds, the fence must have an exclusion barrier that runs 18 inches below ground. To deter hungry deer, the fence must be built much taller than usual. Moreover, an electric current around the topmost perimeter prevents pests like ground squirrels from climbing over the fence. The result is an expensive but necessary barrier to protect the raised beds planned for the next phase of the project, in 2026.

“We offer science-based education for home gardening that provides best practice with regards to sustainable landscaping and pest management,” Greenlon notes. “We do that in community spaces all over the county. Our hope is that the Pleasanton Education Garden will offer a centralized space for Master Gardeners to provide garden education.”

Current project volunteers seek local corporate sponsorship from the Tri-Valley area in the form of financial support and gifts in-kind toward the fencing. “A company that could donate the lumber for us to build a fence, for example, would be huge for this project,” according to Greenlon. Additional volunteers are also needed. One place to start is at the regular garden cleanup day on the third Saturday of each month. The public is welcome on those days to help with weeding. Many other volunteer opportunities are also available.

“Building a garden like this is a very complex project,” notes Greenlon. “It is much larger than our typical volunteer project. Developing the Pleasanton Education Garden will be a boost for our public offerings, especially in the Tri-Valley area, and it will help grow the program for the long term. But in order to get to that place, we need more volunteers than we have. While fundraising is crucial, getting the public involved is key to bringing this garden to reality.”

Anyone passionate about public education as well as gardening can train to become a UC Master Gardener. The organization’s website and social media will announce upcoming opportunities to apply to become a UC Master Gardener, which requires a training course that will begin in September 2025.

Anyone passionate about public education as well as gardening can train to become a UC Master Gardener. The organization’s website and social media will announce upcoming opportunities to apply to become a UC Master Gardener, which requires a training course that will begin in September 2025.

Researchers say that gardening contributes to improved health. But merely going outside also is a health booster. Simply looking at trees, for example, lowers blood pressure and reduces stress-related hormones, according to some scientists. As residents and tenants know, Hacienda has made it easy to take a quick nature break and enjoy flowers, trees, and other beautiful plants.

For more information about Tri-Valley Waterwise, please visit www.trivalleywaterwise.com.

For more information about the Livermore-Amador Valley Garden Club, please visit www.lavgc.org.

For more information about Granada Native Garden, please visit www.granadanativegarden.org.

For more information about Fertile GroundWorks, please visit www.fertilegroundworks.org.

For more information about Sunflower Hill Garden, please visit www.sunflowerhill.org/programs/garden-program.

For more information about the Alameda County Master Gardener Program, please visit www.acmg.ucanr.edu.

To donate to the Alameda County Pleasanton Education Garden, please visit www.give.ucanr.edu/forms/Alameda-MG-PEG, scroll down to Alameda County Garden Education Center - Pleasanton at the bottom of the left column under “Choose Giving Destination,” click on the plus sign, and choose a donation amount.