Author | Lightnews

Western Hills Garden

@westernhillsgarden.bsky.social

840 followers 1K following 200 posts

We are a botanical garden in Occidental, California, founded as a rare plants nursery in 1959 and transformed into a horticultural destination with hundreds of rare specimens. Nonprofit and open to the public on weekends. Details: WesternHillsGarden.com.

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Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · 6d

Today is the last day of our online auction to raise money to keep Western Hills Garden chugging along. Some amazing opportunities to stay here and wake up to the beauty of this place. Great hiking/biking/winetasting—15 minutes from the Russian River and 15 minutes from the ocean/Bodega beaches.

Online Auction 2025 by Western Hills Garden

Help Western Hills Garden meet their fundraising goal by sharing this campaign.

westernhillsgarden.betterworld.org

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Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · Sep 5

Before and after. September is a great time to come and visit Western Hills Garden. #flowers #bloomscrolling #botany #plantsky 🍂🥀🌱🌿

Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · Jul 8

July peek-throughs vol. 2. #trees #gardens #plants #plantsky

Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · Jul 8

July peek-throughs, vol. 1 #gardens #trees #plantsky

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Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · Jul 5

Resident artist/photographer Chrissy Huhn teaches a class here today on Lumen printing technique. (But not Severance!)

Artist Chrissy Huhn, long dark hair, overalls, specs, tattooed arms holds a lumen frame aloft in the sun

A blue lumen plate with leaves and white flowers develops in the sun.

Participant/artist Laura Hermandez develops lumen prints in chemical bath in the shade

Finished lumen prints dry om a clothesline. The plant images appear yellow on hazy translucent background.

Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · Jun 1

Morning Zelkova

Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · May 8

Purslane sex. Got anything better to read about? #plantsky #botany

Plant Sex and the City - bioGraphic

Plants around the world are adapting their reproductive strategies to survive on an increasingly urban planet.

www.biographic.com

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Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · May 6

We would like to nominate a 26th. #gardens

The 25 Gardens You Must See

www.nytimes.com

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Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · May 4

A 6-foot-4 visitor snaps pics of our Puya chilensis blooms. Gives a nice sense of their scale. Come see 'em while they're fresh. #flowers #bloomscrolling #botany #plantsky 🍂🥀🌱🌿

A big man with a camera looks up at towering blooms, roughly 3 feet tall yellow and spiky, on stalks from a dangerous looking puya plant

Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · May 4

Lovely piece about our garden from @sonomamag.com. Do come visit! The entire place is maxxing! #flowers #bloomscrolling #botany #plantsky 🍂🥀🌱🌿

Why This Hidden Garden in Occidental Is a Must-Visit This Spring

New owners embrace the season in the wilds of Occidental's historic Western Hills Garden.

www.sonomamag.com

Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · Apr 29

Spring at WHG. #botany #plantsky 🍂🥀🌱🌿

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Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · Apr 27

Our big ol' Puya chilensis is blooming, which doesn't happen very often! #flowers #bloomscrolling #botany #plantsky 🍂🥀🌱🌿

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Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · Apr 26

From rough stuff to good stuff: Western Hills #composting guru Dick Minor held a little demo this morning. #plantsky #gardens

Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · Apr 26

Weeping deoder cedar, posing with a fine rhodendron.

Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · Mar 19

Sigh, yes, sorry. Sometimes a bit lazy!

Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · Mar 19

Love this time of year when so many species are starting to pop! #gardens #trees #plantsky 🍂🥀🌲🌳🌴🌱🌿

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Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · Mar 18

We love Cordyline australis (asparagaceae), or New Zealand cabbage tree. Seussian!
#gardens #trees #plantsky 🍂🥀🌲🌳🌴🌱🌿

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Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · Mar 17

Woo-hoooo! It is raining like the dickens here! #Plants will be very happy.

Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · Mar 14

Hey gardeners, we'd be SO grateful if you would take a minute to nominate Western Hills Garden for Best of Sonoma County—relevant categories are "places to take kids" & "excursions." It would help bring us more visitors. And please share! #gardens #bloomscrolling #trees #flowers #plants 🍂🥀🌲🌳🌴🌱🌿

Best of Sonoma County 2025

Show your support for Sonoma County businesses by participating in the Best of Sonoma County Readers’ Choice.

www.pressdemocrat.com

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Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · Mar 9

Western Hills' horticulture advisory committee convened on a recent weekend to ponder the future of our collection. (That's co-owner Kent in the center) A great group of people with deep knowledge. It was a productive—and fun!—gathering of minds. #gardens #gardening #trees #flowers #plants 🍂🥀🌲🌳🌴🌱🌿

Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · Mar 3

And the Oscar for best red tailed salamander goes to...this guy.

Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · Mar 2

Night walk w Western Hills Horticultural Advisory Committee. Handheld black light reveals fluorescent flowers, snails, millipedes. So cool! #plantsky #gardens #gardening #nature

Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · Feb 23

Also...my thumb!

Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · Feb 23

Camelia reticulata x Japonica aka Frank Hauser, though "Frank" is an odd way to address a flower. #plantsky #bloomscrolling

Western Hills Garden @westernhillsgarden.bsky.social · Feb 22

Puyas are the best.