Beautiful, Waterwise Home Gardens
Voted “Best Landscape Design Services” in Best of the East Bay by Diablo Magazine editors and readers in 2023
As a leader in waterwise plants and sustainable landscape design services, the Ruth Bancroft Garden and Nursery’s design team specializes in creating gardens that are beautiful and welcoming while also being climate-resilient. Whether you are looking to completely redo your garden or just add plants for better curb appeal and drought-tolerance, we can meet your needs with services ranging from hourly Garden Consultations to full custom design plans that include selecting the best plants for your garden given your microclimate, plant, color and style preferences. We only use climate appropriate plants in our designs. To get started, fill out the form below.
Portfolio
Quick Design Questions – Answered!
Wednesdays from 9:30AM – 12:30PM, one of our Landscape Designers will be in the Nursery to help you with your quick design questions. Need to replace a plant or two? Have a couple of pots you want to fill? Want to know more about our Landscape Design services?
View Upcoming Drop-in Opportunities
Stop by!
1552 Bancroft Road
Walnut Creek, CA 94598
All landscape design clients will receive a discount card entitling them to 25% off plant purchases from the RBG Nursery which is valid for 5 purchases within six months of design completion.
East Bay: Our general service area encompasses the area within a 22 mile radius of the Garden which is roughly north to Highway #4, south to Highway #580, west to Oakland and east to Antioch.
San Francisco and Marin: Additional hourly travel-time fees may be added to design work done in these areas.
Sites outside a 10 mile radius of service areas will incur additional travel charges.
The Nursery is stocked with water wise plants and natives. Our Nursery staff is also extremely knowledgeable and more than happy to answer any questions you have about whether or not a particular plant will thrive in your yard. If you’re looking for a plant that we don’t currently have in-stock, or want to make a large order of plants for your water wise garden, it is best to email the nursery at Nursery@ruthbancroftgarden.org
Contra Costa County Lawn to Garden Rebate Program
Our landscape designers are also authorized consultants for the Contra Costa Water District’s Lawn to Garden Landscape Design Assistance Program. For more information about this program, visit the Contra Costa Water District’s Lawn to Garden Rebate Program website. The vast majority of the plants we carry in the Nursery also qualify for rebates through this program.
Approved CCWD Lawn to Garden Rebate participants, upon completion of their project, also receive a 20% off RBG Nursery coupon to use towards the purchase of new plants.
Meet the Team
Cricket R.
Nurery & Design Services Director
Plant centered design is the focus of all of Cricket’s work at the Garden. From designing gardens, to giving workshops, from writing about plants in the newsletter to ordering plants for the Nursery, educating people on the beauty, diversity and sustainability of regionally appropriate planting is always her goal. “Your garden should look good, feel good and do good. If we’ve accomplished those three things, then we’re successful” Cricket has an AA in Landscape Architecture from Merritt College, a BA in History from UC Santa Cruz, and an MA in Broadcast Journalism and Near Eastern Studies from NYU.
Nikki V.
Senior Designer
Nikki is a landscape designer that specializes in creating beautiful, functional spaces that feel lush but use low water. She also has extensive experience in fine gardening and aesthetic pruning. She enjoys working on plant-focused designs, learning what clients want out of their garden, and developing creative, sustainable solutions. Prior to this, Nikki spent many years in the nonprofit sector, providing fundraising, marketing and creative support. She has an AA degree in Landscape Architecture from Merritt College and a BA in Communication Studies from UNCW.
Becky P.
Associate Designer
It was living in urban spaces where Becky started her passion for low water gardens and design. While transforming her own “blank slate” garden in San Francisco, she experienced the immediate impact of greening her neighborhood through street tree plantings and doing tree care as a volunteer. Before joining the RBG team, Becky was a researcher and did garden maintenance and design. She believes designing with climate adapted plants sets clients up for success and ground gardens with a sense of place. Becky has an AA in Landscape Architecture from Merritt College, and a BA in Media Studies from the University of San Francisco.
Kate N.
Associate Designer
Garden making and growing professionally in the Bay Area for over fifteen years, Kate has learned, plants are powerful. As a designer, she believes that beauty and resilience go hand in hand, working with clients to realize their low water garden aspirations. Before coming to Ruth Bancroft Garden, Kate was the Horticulture Manager at Filoli gardens in Woodside. She studied Landscape Architecture at Merritt College, earned an MA in Museum Studies at the University of Washington and a BA in Biology at Boston College.
