RG Turner, editor emeritus of Pacific Horticulture and the first executive director of the Ruth Bancroft Gardencalled it, “a salon in the redwoods.” In its next chapter, Maggie Wych, the garden’s second owner, preserved both the collection and the welcoming community spirit, maintaining Western Hills as a quiet pilgrimage site for plant enthusiasts and a rare plants nursery.
Enter Hadley and Kent, who were immediately captivated by the garden’s beauty, wildness, history, and future possibilities. Hadley shares, “The idea was never ‘own’ a private botanical refuge but to share it with the community as a public garden space.”
Soon after purchasing the property, the ambitious couple began the hard work of weeding, unearthing, and pruning. More important, they reached out to those who understood its legacy and to their extended network of friends, family, and professional connections. The couple formed a horticultural advisory committee, which includes leaders from UC Berkeley Botanical Garden, Filoli, Cistus Nurseryand Santa Rosa Junior College, among others. “Preserving Western Hills,” Hadley explains, “means protecting its experimental spirit as much as its specimen plantings.”
