The lavender and estate gardens at Matanzas Creek Winery are situated amid hilly terrain in Sonoma County’s Bennett Valley. Washed over in luminous hues, the setting combines an elegant naturalism and robust verdure, where majestic native oaks tower over extravagant plantings.
Dragonfly (ALICE JOYCE photo)
It’s difficult not to be swept away by the heady perfume of lavender that greets you during a June visit. Some 4,500 plants grow on staggered terraces, the cultivated varieties ‘Grosso’ and ‘Provence.’ The distinctive hues and textures create diagonal patterns, leading you on a gradual ascent up the steps of a central path toward the winery’s main building.
Matanzas Creek Winery (Alice Joyce photo)
Drifts of swaying grasses like the tall purple moor grass, which produces blooming spikes from June through December, soften the hillsides and walkways, alike.
Grass featherheads (Alice Joyce photo)
Masses of perennials thrive under Sonoma’s bright skies, in a design first conceived by landscape designer Gary Ratway (Digging Dog Nursery): Gary is acknowledged for his contributions to the restoration of the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens.
Lavender field Vista (Alice Joyce photo)
In addition to compositions of ornamental grasses and pungent herbs, the gardens feature selections of ornamental vines, shrubs and unusual trees: Parrotia persica boasts medleys of amethyst & lemon-lime leaves in spring, shifting to shimmering golds and reds in the fall.
Fountain Sculpture Matanzas Creek Winery (Alice Joyce photo)
Eloquently described in the winery’s garden tour booklet, the governing philosophy at Matanzas Creek is one of “designing to reduce design.” It’s readily apparent throughout the grounds, but perhaps the most striking examples are boulders weighing 21,000 pounds. Set in place near a stairway, these massive forms look as if they have been there forever. Matanzas Creek Estate & Lavender Gardens
Matanzas Creek Winery (Alice Joyce photo)
- Dry Stream Bed (Alice Joyce photo)
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