Featured Garden: Rohnert Park, California
A Complete Landscape for a New Home & Guest House
This featured garden in Rohnert Park, California was designed and installed as part of the development of a new home and separate guest house.
With two residences sharing the property, the landscape needed to do more than simply fill the space between the buildings. The goal was to create a cohesive outdoor environment that connected the main house and guest house while providing comfortable areas for entertaining, recreation, and everyday outdoor living.
Moonlight Landscapes developed a complete landscape incorporating two stamped concrete patios and walkways, a natural dry creek bed, custom putting green, gravel and wood staircase, low-maintenance gardens, and carefully placed boulders.
The result is a functional Sonoma County landscape where each outdoor area has its own purpose while remaining connected to the overall design.
Designing Around Two Homes
The main house and guest house created an interesting design opportunity.
Rather than treating each residence as a separate landscape, we approached the property as one complete outdoor environment.
Pathways and planting areas establish connections between the structures, while repeating materials throughout the property creates continuity.
The landscape design incorporated:
Two stamped concrete patios
Stamped concrete walkways
Custom putting green
Dry creek bed
Gravel and wood staircase
Low-maintenance gardens
Natural boulder placement
Outdoor gathering areas
Water-conscious planting
Each feature was positioned to improve how the property functions while complementing the architecture of the newly constructed homes.
Stamped Concrete Patios & Walkways
Two stamped concrete patios create dedicated outdoor living areas associated with the main house and guest house.
Stamped concrete provides the durability of concrete while introducing additional texture and character into the landscape.
Connecting walkways extend the material through the property, establishing comfortable circulation between buildings, patios, gardens, and recreational areas.
Using the same hardscape language in multiple areas also helps visually connect the two residences.
A Custom Backyard Putting Green
A custom putting green adds a recreational element to the landscape while becoming a distinctive visual feature of the property.
Rather than treating the putting green as an isolated area, it was incorporated into the surrounding garden so that it feels connected to the rest of the backyard.
Plantings, boulders, gravel, and nearby hardscape help soften the edges and integrate the green into the larger landscape.
The result is a space that provides recreation without sacrificing the overall character of the garden.
A Natural Dry Creek Bed
A dry creek bed introduces an organic element that contrasts with the more structured geometry of the stamped concrete patios and putting green.
Using stone, boulders, and surrounding plants, the creek bed creates movement through the landscape and gives the garden a more natural Northern California character.
Dry creek beds can be particularly effective in landscape design because they create visual interest even when no water is present.
Instead of viewing drainage and elevation changes only as technical considerations, features such as dry creek beds can become part of the landscape experience.
Gravel & Wood Staircase
Changes in elevation were addressed with a gravel and wood staircase, providing a practical transition while maintaining the relaxed character of the landscape.
The combination of wood and gravel creates a softer alternative to an entirely concrete staircase and works naturally with the surrounding gardens and boulders.
This detail also helps transition between the property’s more architectural elements and its natural planting areas.
Low-Maintenance Gardens
Low-maintenance landscaping was an important part of the design.
Planting areas throughout the property were designed to provide texture, movement, and seasonal interest without creating unnecessary maintenance requirements.
Rather than filling every available area with dense planting, we used carefully positioned groups of shrubs, grasses, perennials, and other climate-appropriate plants.
As the garden matures, these plantings will continue to soften the patios, pathways, putting green, staircase, and other constructed elements.
Boulders as a Landscape Element
Boulders provide structure and permanence throughout the garden.
Carefully positioned natural stone helps anchor planting areas, reinforce the dry creek bed, and create transitions between different parts of the property.
Boulder placement is most successful when the stone appears integrated into the landscape rather than simply placed on top of it.
By partially incorporating boulders into the grade and surrounding them with plants and gravel, they become a natural part of the overall composition.
Balancing Recreation & Outdoor Living
One of the defining characteristics of this Rohnert Park landscape is the variety of ways the property can be used.
The stamped concrete patios provide spaces for outdoor furniture, dining, and entertaining.
The putting green creates a dedicated recreational area.
The dry creek bed, boulders, and gardens provide a more natural visual experience.
Meanwhile, walkways and the gravel-and-wood staircase connect the different areas and allow people to move comfortably between the main residence, guest house, and outdoor spaces.
Each feature serves a different purpose, but all are part of one landscape.
Modern Structure Meets Natural Materials
This project combines structured hardscape with softer, more natural landscape elements.
Stamped concrete provides clean, durable surfaces around the homes, while gravel, wood, stone, boulders, and planting areas soften the overall design.
The dry creek bed adds organic movement. The putting green introduces a strong, manicured element. Low-maintenance gardens create texture and help connect everything together.
This contrast creates a landscape that feels organized without becoming overly formal.
A Landscape Designed to Mature
A newly installed landscape is the starting point, not the finished story.
As plants mature and fill in around the boulders, creek bed, patios, and walkways, the garden will continue to develop its own character.
Permanent features such as the stamped concrete patios, putting green, staircase, and boulders provide the framework.
The plants soften that framework over time.
The goal is a landscape that becomes more integrated with the homes and property as it matures.
Landscape Design + Installation in Rohnert Park, CA
This featured Rohnert Park garden demonstrates how thoughtful landscape design can bring together multiple buildings, recreational features, hardscape, and natural garden elements within one cohesive property.
By combining two stamped concrete patios and walkways, a custom putting green, dry creek bed, gravel and wood staircase, low-maintenance gardens, and natural boulders, Moonlight Landscapes created an outdoor environment designed around both the main residence and guest house.
The result is a landscape that balances outdoor living, recreation, natural materials, and long-term functionality.
Planning a new home, ADU, guest house, or complete landscape renovation in Rohnert Park or Sonoma County? Contact Moonlight Landscapes to begin designing an outdoor environment that connects your home, architecture, and landscape from the ground up.
Moonlight Landscapes | Landscape Design + Build | Rohnert Park & Sonoma County, California
