Garden Valley Ranch Is Your Summer Escape.
Garden Valley Ranch is Petaluma’s own version of a secret garden, offering visitors an enchanted escape from the bustle of daily life, perfect for anyone longing to stop and smell the roses–literally. As a working cut-flower farm, Garden Valley Ranch offers both beautiful blooms and immersive experiences.
Beyond being a gorgeous wedding venue and go-to getaway destination, (check out their dreamy cottage for a romantic weekend retreat), the ranch notably hosts flower foraging and BYO picnic visits, where guests can enjoy their lunch, then wander the gardens, and cut and build their own bouquets to take home. It’s a unique summer experience in an historic location.
The ranch’s roots stretch back to the late 1800s, when the original Victorian structures were first built and still stand as remnants of Petaluma’s early settlement era. These buildings remain a living link to the past, lending the property a true historic charm.
Over the years, Garden Valley Ranch changed hands many times, but its most famous steward was Sonoma County’s own rose expert Rayford Reddell. During his tenure, Reddell, a celebrated author and horticulturist, created the rose garden that still serves as the ranch’s crown jewel. Reddell’s lush gardens even earned a spotlight from Martha Stewart.
Paige Green Photography
Today, the ranch is owned by local siblings Jessica and Justin Yau, who purchased the estate in 2017. Their preferred title? “Just farmers.”
“When [my brother and I] saw the listing for Garden Valley Ranch, we thought it couldn’t hurt to take a look since it’s right here in town,” explained Yau. “It captured my imagination…and I thought it had great potential.”
So the Yau siblings dove headfirst into their passion project, tackling long-overdue maintenance with determination. After a winter of hard work, spring finally arrived—and with it, a cascade of cherry blossoms. It was then, amid the confetti of petals, Yau felt something else begin to bloom too: a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
“I kept seeing the property unfold and evolve and change,” said Yau. “When that first winter turned into spring, the whole place became so enchanting. I could hardly believe it was the same place I’d visited in October.”
With enough time and no small amount of blood, sweat, tears and rose petals spilled, the Yau siblings revived Garden Valley Ranch. After years of hard work and a crash course in rose maintenance, the gardens are an annual celebration of floral ambrosia. “I can’t say I have a favorite among the roses because there are thousands of them, and because they’re all so special and unique,” confessed Yau. “They all smell different, they all look different…and I just can’t commit to only one rose like that.”
“If I had to choose, I would say that some of my favorite roses are the Cressida and the Yves Piaget,” Yau continued. “Cressida is this beautiful light peach apricot color and probably has 100 or more petals. It’s a huge flower, and it has this intoxicating myrrh scent to it. The Yves Piaget, on the other hand, is a hot pink rose that also has a very high petal count, and it has a very specific sweet smell I love.”
Life as cut rose farmers isn’t all sunshine and, well, roses. Although the produce grown from Garden Valley Ranch is sweeter smelling than most crops, the work required is still agricultural in nature. This means long hours and a to-do list that keeps expanding.
“For such a long time, I was always trying to win with the garden, or beat it or get on top of it,” concluded Yau. “But then I realized, I can’t win at this. I can only do what I can, when I can, and that’s perfectly okay. The garden is constantly evolving and changing and there is no endpoint. You go through the seasons step by step and let the weather and all the rest be a surprise.”
The garden’s secret is really in this letting-go, whether for a few hours or an extended stay. There’s just something about a beautiful garden that can erase any worries and give respite, even for a short while.
Garden Valley Ranch
498 Pepper Road, Petaluma
(707) 795-0919
Open by appointment only; book visits, overnights, or events online.