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Hummingbird Garden

Butterfly & Hummingbird Garden Gifts in Celebration of Earth Day

Spring in Sonoma

Hummingbird Garden

Bring Beauty to Your Home this Spring
with a Butterfly & Hummingbird Flower Garden

As we welcome Spring this beautiful year of 2023, I’d like to share with you a community outreach butterfly & hummingbird seed distribution program created just in time for Spring planting and the celebration of Earth Day.

Spring Gardening

Gardens are an important part of a home here in the Sonoma Valley and beyond.  My friends and I invite you to enliven yours with a gift of seeds to create beauty and abundance around you. These high quality seeds have been specially curated to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Both butterflies and these tiny, lovely birds are treasured contributors to our larger ecosystem. Whether in a personal garden or expansive field, they bring inspiring charm and joy into our lives.

The seed gift packets will be gifted to the community during the week before Earth Day 2023 at the local businesses listed below, located throughout Sonoma County. It is our hope that recipients will plant these seeds in their pollinator gardens in the spirit of celebration for Spring and our Mother Earth. Each gift will contain a mix of seeds ready for planting that will bloom into glorious flowers. These seeds are appropriate for a wide number of garden zones across the United States.

Included with the seed packets will be an information sheet with complete list of the flower varieties and simple planting guidelines.

These seed packets have been created and donated to the community by my Sonoma Nature Journal Club, with the help of Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance mentors and mentees, as well as the support of specialty food company Sonoma Syrup Co. As local professionals who help clients with homes, gardens, families and food, we hope that you will call upon us if we can assist you in any way. Visit us on Instagram: @artofleisuresonomanapa, @sonomasyrupco, @sonomamentoring.

Gifts will be dropped off at Sonoma businesses on April 20th. The community can stop by one of the following participating locations to pick up a Butterfly & Hummingbird seed packet from the 20th through the 29th of April.

Butterfly & Hummingbird Garden Seed 2023 • Participating Businesses

  1. Sign of The Bear
  2. Café Mac
  3. Summer Vine
  4. Prohibition Spirits Distillery
  5. Sonoma Country Antiques
  6. MacArthur Place Hotel
  7. Refill Madness
  8. Caddis Wines
  9. Baker & Cook
  10. Off Broadway Cleaners
  11. Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau
  12. Woof
  13. Sonoma Valley Certified Farmers Market
  14. The Corner Store
  15. Plain Jane
  16. Sonoma Mission Gardens
  17. Nomad Botanicals
  18. Williams-Sonoma
  19. Sonoma School of Martial Arts
  20. Oak Hill Farm

  1. Musette Atelier
  2. Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance
  3. Edward Jones, Lindsey Stone
  4. Sonoma Syrup Co.
  5. Art of Leisure, Brenda McNeill, Coldwell Banker Brokers of The Valley
  6. Scott Nichols Gallery
  7. Readers Books
  8. Eraldi’s Mens Wear & Shoes
  9. The Loop
  10. Potter Green & Company
  11. Vintage House
  12. Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa
  13. Chateau Sonoma
  14. Bartholomew Estate Winery
  15. Half-Pint
  16. Tiddle E. Winks
  17. Artefact Design & Salvage
  18. Wine Country Gardens
  19. Café La Haye


Art of Leisure & Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa

A lovely setting with abundant flowers at Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, awaiting guests and the Spring Garden workshop.

In addition to the businesses participating in the seed giveaway, we are honored to collaborate with historic Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa as they celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd with a Spring Garden workshop, creating sustainable hummingbird and butterfly gardens using our curated seed packets and recycled wine boxes.

Learn more about these elegant creatures and the importance of flowers as a food source for pollinators. Enjoy delicious hot tea made with fresh herbs while you assemble your own personal garden, and linger afterwards for live music and elevated street food from CaliForno, Fairmont Sonoma’s signature food truck. Tickets include all of the materials needed to craft your unique garden box. If you are unable to take a box home with you, a seed packet will be provided for you to plant your own garden at home. 

Saturday, April 22nd, 3:30pm – 5:00pm, $35 per person. You may view the program and purchase a ticket at their website here.

Sonoma Mentoring Alliance
Mentor and mentee work together to create seed gifts for the community.

Pollinator Garden Seeds
Wherever you call home, it is my hope that you may find time to plant lots of flowers this Spring.

Butterfly Garden
And, whether you are renovating a home or relaxing with a hobby, that you may enjoy the Art of Leisure. Wishing you a beautiful Spring. If you would like more information on this project, please feel free to give me a call.

Water in Sonoma Valley, Carriger Creek, Home and Gardens

As we continue this winter season in which we celebrate the recent rains, I’d like to share with you two properties and some beautiful fountains that all bring to mind the joy of water available to the homes and gardens of wine country.  The first is a lovely residential + commercial location on the southern side of Sonoma Valley with an abundance of artisanal water.  The water flows up from the earth (at a rate of 14± gallons per minute), and is readily available to the home, small orchard, hobby vineyard, and business.

Sonoma Valley

View from above looking west at this Sonoma Valley property, 75 Fremont Drive, Sonoma.

A lovely interior with older wood floors that have such a warm tone to their coloring.

A very inviting entrance to one of the residential areas.

Sonoma Valley Vineyard

A few organic grapevines enjoying the sunshine before harvest.  Feel free to watch this video for more information.

The second property is on the west side of Sonoma Valley, just moments from the center of town, Sonoma Plaza.  This estate is graced with the abundant beauty of Carriger Creek flowing freely along the land.  With its location at the foot of the mountain, it offers sweeping views of Sonoma Valley, vineyards and beyond from most area points on this 33± acres of land.

Sonoma Valley

Expansive view from a potential building site on this land.

Nearby trail to wander at your leisure with full privacy.  You can see a part of the wildflower preserve in the distance.

Sonoma Valley Home

I just love this “personal park” area next to historic Carriger Creek where one can gather with family or friends.  This spot has been enjoyed by young Nature Camp participants over the years.

Journaling at Carriger CreekA moment overlooking the creek in the early afternoon with my journal.

Please enjoy this brief video highlighting the beauty of Carriger Creek and the pleasure of journaling, something that I share with the community, including children, through my Sonoma Nature Journal Club.

Carriger CreekThe beauty of the simple waterway of Carriger Creek.

Here in Sonoma and Napa Valleys, we so deeply appreciate when the water that springs forth from the land via stream, creek, lake or other waterway.  Carriger Creek is an enchanting natural waterway in the Sonoma Creek watershed that meanders through the land on the west side of Sonoma Valley before flowing into Sonoma Creek and out to the ocean.

A simple traditional tea house amidst the trees, with an enormous view of this property.

The Van Hoosear Wildflower Preserve, a nature preserve in Sonoma County, is nearby with 163± acres along the foothills of Sonoma Mountain.  The Preserve has a gently sloping grassland and over 250 species of common and rare wildflowers.  This sweeping expanse of protected land can be seen from the property and potentially hiked often.

Father José Altimira had much to say about the vital, historic water sources in this area.

“Sonoma is a fountain of fountains,” wrote Father Altimira in July of 1823, as he explored the North Bay, looking for the best place to build a mission.

The wonderful Sonoma Mission Gardens nursery has unique fountains to choose from so that you may relax amidst the sound and positive energy of flowing water.  To honor our precious natural water sources, here are a few lovely fountains that can be purchased for your garden and home.

Sonoma Valley Gardens

Ripples of water

Fountains in Sonoma Valley

Bubbling forth

Sonoma Garden Home

Drawn into a trough

Sonoma Mission Gardens

Tiered terra cotta

Garden Fountain

The majesty of an arcing stance

A side entrance door to this favored nursery of locals reminds us of all of the character and art of garden rooms.  Here Sonoma Mission Gardens offers many vessels: fountains for your own flowing water in Sonoma or Napa Valley.  It is all about land + gardens + homes, adding so much to our “Art of Leisure” lifestyle with family and friends.

Contact me anytime for further details.

Fall Community Educational Activities in Sonoma Nature, Art and Science

Sonoma Nature Club

SONOMA NATURE JOURNAL CLUB  –  Community Education

October 5, 2020

Autumn in Sonoma Valley

Nature   •   Art  •   Science

The largely leisure activity of nature journaling is especially satisfying this fall as we enjoy a clear day and step outside to our backyard garden or local park with our notebook, pencil and curiosity.  At the beginning of September, I created the Sonoma Nature Journal ClubOur purpose is to engage and inspire kids of all ages during or after school, as our nation continues online learning at home and experiences limited mobility.

Nature Journaling is fun and can be done in your backyard, on the side of a trail, at a park, or atop a mountain, most anytime. During these warm days and crisp evenings of fall, this is a wonderful way to enjoy the many positive influences of taking a closer look at our organic surroundings.  Sonoma Nature Journal Club gives each participant a paper covered notebook, a few wooden pencils, and a cotton pouch with simple zipper.  We then step outside, look, listen, ask questions, and record what we see, hear and feel.

For those who for some reason are not able to go outdoors, the beauty of your area can be found by gazing out a nearby window, or if that is not possible, looking online for pictures.  I do know of a few wonderful sites for this.  The opportunities are endless and filled with wonder.

My initial inspiration came from my friend and world-renowned professor Dr Joe McBride, Chair of the Forest Science Division of the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at University of California, Berkeley.  His long history of education and advising nations around the globe has guided me to create this club.  The hope is to make a difference, especially for students, with a focus on knowledge, understanding and the experience of  “taking a deep dive into the appreciation of the natural world around us.”  It has been my experience that nature drawing creates a lasting connection to this world and a realization of the wonders of the wild and organic life that exists just steps from the front door of our homes.

The club has already met a few times.  Our initial focus has been on the life and science of the Valley Oak tree which is quite prevalent around the Sonoma Valley.  Here we see current club members becoming stewards of our natural environment while they play and journal at the Sonoma Garden Park, this is after a full day of school online.

Nature in Sonoma Valley

These girls commune in front of the historic “Grandmother Oak” tree which is thought to be hundreds of years old. The park map in hand helps to guide us as we explore the trees, flowers, vegetables, bees and chickens at this location. Studies have found that nature journaling is quite an effective and engaging way to teach observation, curiosity, and creative thinking.

Journaling in Sonoma Nature

Here are our journalists outdoors, after school, quietly drawing, writing and asking questions of the natural world.  Journals have been the tools of scientists, naturalists, thinkers, poets, writers, and engineers for centuries.

Sonoma Activities

Planting a Valley Oak acorn is a hands-on form of learning which is bound to real life experiences.  This acorn will be nurtured and placed in the ground, possibly next January after a few winter rains have soaked the soil.  This active engagement with trees and plants has been shown to improve memory and created a deeper mental imprint as we articulate and clarify ideas.

In addition, when students compared two oak trees of different ages in a journal book, they generated focused, biologically-relevant observations and  “I wonder why” questions about oak trees.

Talking with and learning from the Sonoma Community Garden park manager.  In some cases, a friendly dog is chatted with for a moment.  This rich learning experience in such a dynamic environment helps to form lasting memories and relationships.  Students also build transferable thinking skills which can be applied successfully to other academic disciplines.

So, what tools and supplies are needed?

These are the most important items that we take outside: a notebook with blank pages, a pencil case and a few good pencils.

Our favorite notebook has a blank front cover which allows the owner to draw or paint something meaningful to make it uniquely their own.  A traditional notebook can also be used, or a blank book with graph paper.  The notebook, a gift to members, is composition-size and the pencil pouch is cotton.

Here are three great nature books that I have collected over the years:

A fabulous resource for information on the oak woodlands is Kate Marianchild, who has written a highly regarded book titled “Secrets of The Oak Woodlands,” which can be viewed on her website.

Test Your Gull Ability

As we have seagulls near the Sonoma Coast or Pacific coastline, this guide can be quite helpful and is made available by Bay Nature Magazine and John Muir Laws.

It is always exciting to see the hawks which are ever-present in the skies and trees of Sonoma County. This is a simple guide to identifying the different species.  Created by John Muir Laws for his nature journaling group.  Both the seagull and hawk reference papers can be downloaded at his website.

A few optional materials which you can bring with you outside:  binoculars, colored pencils, paint brushes, a small watercolor set, thermos of hot coffee or tea, and always some fresh water.

Many times it is the most simple of observations which are very rewarding. These zinnia flowers are abundant in the gardens of Sonoma and Napa Valley this fall. Found just outside my door, flowers can be part of a daily or weekly nature journal observation.

If by chance, you would like to pick up a few zinnias to plant, the local nursery Sonoma Mission Gardens has a fabulous selection in pots, plus many other flowers currently in stock.  This nursery is also a perfect resource for landscaping material any time of the year.  Sonoma Mission Gardens has the added bonus of having quite a number of beautiful birds onsite which you can view quite closely.  We locals in Sonoma consider this business a community treasure.

Nature in action, the honeybee is a cornerstone of our environment, food sources, gardens, parks and pleasure.  With bee hives found at many locations,  we recommend the book The Beekeeper’s Bible, which includes helpful information about bees, honey, recipes & other home uses. This can be purchased online or in person at the wonderful, locally-owned Readers Books in Sonoma. Located just off the Sonoma Plaza, they are considered a gathering place for book lovers of all ages. Many days you will find the owner Andy Weinberger ( who is an author himself) behind the front desk and ever-ready to chat about the community and books.

The Sonoma Nature Journal Club is grateful for the continued support of the Sonoma Ecology Center, and the national network of Nature Journal Clubs which can be found online at John Muir Laws website.  As part of this network, we encourage members to safely join us regularly for an authentic outdoor nature journaling experience.  At the time of this post, I am safely leading small groups after school a few times each month. We follow all COVID guidelines. This may change at any time so please check in when convenient.

Or, due to safety precaution and personal preferences, join us online here or through our upcoming video sessions. Sharing, learning, and community happiness are a few outcomes of the Sonoma Nature Journal Club.

If you would like to join, please give me a call or send an email at bmcneill@cbsonoma.com. Further thoughts and club details can be found at the Journal Club tab here on this blog.  I look forward to seeing you on the trail or around town!