Landscaping

City of Santa Rosa Guide to Landscaping Requirements

Looking for a minimal, simplified, Coffey-Park Scaled Landscape Plan to satisfy the city requirements? These plans are available now adapt and use, courtesy of APM Homes and Carlile Macy Landscape Architects.

Start with these templates, (or the larger more extensive Sonoma Marin Water Saving templates) to adapt this front yard landscape plan to your own home site plan. Workshops to assist you will begin in January

Simplified and Scaled Down Template Native Adaptive Plan B

Simplified and Scaled Down Template Sonoma Contemporary Plan A

Simplified and Scaled Down Template Sonoma Cottage Plan A

Sonoma Marin Water Saving Partnership Free Adaptable Landscape Templates

  • Sonoma Native/Adaptive – an emphasis on native and fire safer plants
  • Sonoma Eco-Edible – a mix of edible and habitat plantings that maximize sustainability
  • Sonoma Contemporary – a modern, minimalistic and clean look that is easy to maintain
  • Sonoma Cottage – a Sonoma version of a cottage garden with natural materials and colorful plantings

Permit Application Packet for use with Landscape Templates

Making Plant Choices

Drought Tolerant Plant Lists - the plants on these lists are pre-approved for use as substitute plants on the Landscape Templates. They are selected for their drought tolerance and suitability to our climate and environment.
Low Water Use
Medium Water Use

Web Gallery of Landscape Plants on the Low Water and Medium Water Lists - NEW! LINK to site

Website provides a gallery of images of plants on the approved low water and medium water plants lists to help you design your garden.[/caption]

Want to see what the low water and medium water trees, shrubs, grasses, vines and perennials look like? We have created a web gallery of images, some with links to even more information and images.  This gallery is still in development, but we are adding more as quickly as we can.

Deferring Full Installation of your Landscape

Need to defer installation? You can ask to wait up to 2 years before installing your full landscape. Just be sure to have these minimum requirements installed as outlined in the Landscape Requirements Guide by the final inspection. Questions? Inquire with the Resilient City Planning Office at rebuild@srcity.org or call 707-543-4649

Custom Landscape Designs

You do not have to use the templates provided, but you may create your own custom landscape design which is WELO compliant. For fire damage rebuilds, some of the requirements are waived. For more detailed information refer to the Residential Landscaping Requirements publication or contact the Resilient City Planning Office at 707-543-4649

Lists of Landscape Professionals

Need to hire a landscape professional to help you with your design and/or installation?

These advisors have been trained specifically on the templates: Trained Landscape Template Advisors – PDF file (70KB)

Other lists:

Quality Water Efficient Landscape Professionals

American Society of Landscape Architects

California Landscape Contractors Association

Association of Professional Landscape Designers

More Resources

Rainwater Capture ideas to help you retain rain and moisture in your land rather than send it off your property

Greywater Systems to use water from you shower and or clothes washer to irrigate your landscape

CalFire's Fire Resistant Landscaping Website

About WUCOLS, or Water Use Classification of Landscape Species

Street Trees and the Planter Strip

The city does not have resources to fund replacement street trees for the planter strips. They do have plans to remove dead and damaged trees from the planter strips funded through FEMA debris removal funding. This wlll not fund stump removal, however. Should this situation change we will post the information.

Santa Rosa's street tree list