Our story
Family-run since 1994.
We work closely with you to design, install, plant, and maintain your dream garden across San Francisco, Marin and Southern Sonoma County.
Since 1994
Working with the land, not against it.
Monarch Gardens was founded in 1994 as CM Design. We’re a Marin County, community-based business owned and operated by the husband-and-wife team of Dave and Carolyn Anderson. We bring extensive horticultural knowledge and keen space-planning expertise to every project, and as a licensed landscape design/build company, we stay current on environmental issues, innovations, and trends in the industry while respecting local climates and habitats.
We pride ourselves on communicating clearly about options, materials, estimates, and scheduling, and on providing consistently responsive, professional, and thoughtful service. As a result, we reap the rewards of long-term relationships with our clients and their gardens.
Why “Monarch”
Named for the butterflies that found us.
Before Monarch Gardens got its name, we were already operating our landscape design business. The butterfly had always been part of our logo, but we wanted a new name. At the same time, we had the opportunity to build a truly unique and stunning beachfront garden for one of our clients. We planted milkweed and butterfly plants throughout to attract the Monarch butterflies, and they certainly arrived. One day, while we were tending the garden, our client’s daughter discovered more than fifty chrysalises attached to various spots in the yard, and we had one of those “a-ha” moments.
Just as the butterfly transforms from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly, the gardens we design follow a cycle of transformation — changing, growing, and living to bring your dream to reality and harmonize with your lifestyle. The Monarch is also an environmental indicator species: among the first to decline in an unstable or toxic environment, and only present when the ecosystem around it is healthy and vibrant. That’s why we garden organically. Carolyn is also a trained Western herbalist, which brings real depth to our edible and medicinal plantings.
How we work
A calm, considered process
01
Listen & observe
We start by asking the questions you haven’t thought of, to reveal how you really want to use your space.
02
Design
We map your site and sketch options together — designs that honor the contours of the land, and your imagination.
03
Build & tend
Our crew builds it with care and clean sites, then tends it as it grows into its best self.
In their words
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Monarch Gardens for the past 10 years. They first designed my front garden, which exceeded my expectations. Carolyn and Dave completely understood my aesthetics, and selected plants that matched it beautifully. I get so many compliments from neighbors to this day.”
Ready to start your garden?
The garden you want now, with the garden of your future in mind.