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“We do whatever it takes to make our clients happy. It comes through naturally in our work and our relationships with people, as we have a real love for our trade. There’s nothing we enjoy more than putting a smile on the face of every customer.”

Manzanita Landscape Construction, Inc. (MLCI) is a Design-Build company that takes its clients’ projects from start to finish and beyond. Proudly serving Sonoma County since 1991, the company’s goal is to provide its clients with turnkey projects, embracing both beauty and function.As a dually licensed general and landscape contractor, MLCI handles everything from installing pavers, decks, accent lighting and water features to building custom structures and retaining walls. The company is also proud to offer several financing options.Owners Tim and Heather Little take great pride in tackling the structural challenges that landscape construction presents. “Landscaping is an art—the beauty of creation,” they say. “Knowledgeable design and innovative construction can transform a residence into an artistic masterpiece. We’ve built an outstanding reputation for our originality and unlimited imagination, and we aim to uphold that on every project.”MLCI’s experienced crew members contribute their unique talents to the landscaping process, applying use of color, contrast and texture to create one-of-a-kind outdoor environments. When the structures and hardscapes are completed, the company adds creative flair by carefully selecting the best varieties of trees, shrubs and flowers for each individual project.

Manzanita Lansdcape Construction creates custom landscapes that reflect clients’ lifestyles.

Few landscape contractors earn the prestigious Diamond Certified award, which means they’ve been independently rated Highest in Quality and Helpful Expertise®. Even fewer can also claim more than 40 years of industry experience and a hands-on owner who personally supervises every landscaping project, but that’s exactly the case for Manzanita Landscape Construction, Inc. “I take pride in working alongside our crew members and customizing each project,” says owner James Guay. “I’m onsite all the time to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible, and our customers really appreciate that.” Manzanita Landscape Construction designs, installs and maintains landscapes for residential clients throughout Sonoma County. In addition to installing pavers, decks, fences, and concrete and water features, the company utilizes its general building contractor’s license to offer a variety of related construction services, including custom framing, finish carpentry, and kitchen and bathroom renovations. “Instead of just installing plants in a garden, we can use our combined skills to truly enhance our customers’ landscapes,” says Mr. Guay. Unlike less experienced landscape contractors that overlook the importance of client communication and personalized service, Manzanita Landscape Construction utilizes its small size and family-oriented business practices to develop lasting relationships with its customers. “We’re a family-run business—I’m the builder and my daughter, Heather, is president/CEO,” explains Mr. Guay. “Together, we’re able to pay close attention to every job and make our customers feel like part of our family.” To further differentiate itself from its competition, Manzanita Landscape Construction hand-selects its technicians and provides them with extensive training to ensure their expertise. “Our crew members have been with us for years,” says Mr. Guay. “They’re hard workers who can handle every step of the landscaping process, which ultimately results in well-designed, well-planned gardens that our customers can enjoy for years.”

Q: Once you start my job, will you keep working until it’s finished? A: Absolutely. We never leave our customers with unfinished work. We’ll get in and out as quickly as possible so you can have your yard back. Q: Do you provide landscape design services? A: Yes, we can provide realistic scaled drawings during the bidding process. That way, our customers can see how their projects will look before any work begins. Q: Do you provide landscape maintenance services? A: Yes. After the initial installation is complete, we send another crew to take care of follow-up maintenance. They’ve been working with us for years, so we trust them to perform excellent work. Q: Do you clean up at the end of the workday? A: Absolutely. We clean up every day so the yard looks nice, and after we finish the job, we perform a final clean-up that includes power washing driveways and walkways. Q: Can you do other types of work? A: We’re a licensed general contractor as well as a landscape contractor, which is very rare in this business. Along with landscaping, we can build decks, install new doors and windows, and even handle remodeling projects. It’s a good combination of skills that covers all the bases. Q: Do you provide free estimates? A: Yes, we present bids free of charge. We also include a scaled design in each bid so the customer can see the plan.

Choose the right plants to enhance your landscaping project. Gardening may seem like a simple task, but getting your garden to thrive takes more than simply picking out some flowers and putting them in the ground. Careful research and maintenance is required to achieve the appearance you want for your landscape. Consider the following tips: Decide which elements you want your landscape to provide. This can include privacy screening, shade, erosion control, division of space, focal points, noise control, colorful flower displays, wildlife habitats, food growing and play areas. The plants you choose will help reinforce (or detract from) the purpose of your landscape, so make sure you have a specific goal in mind. Learn about your garden space. Each yard and garden can have several microclimates within a small area. By researching your yard, you’ll know the specific types of plants that will thrive there. Know your type of soil, how much sunlight and shade each area of your yard receives, and how wet or dry the area gets. Pay attention to areas that are windy or exposed, poorly drained, and hard to access (maintenance will be troublesome in these areas). Research plants ahead of time. Look up plants in online encyclopedias to determine how well they grow in your zone and soil type, whether or not they need shade, if their watering requirements are similar to other plants in the same space, and how large they’ll grow. This can help you avoid making costly mistakes or buying plants that won’t grow well in your garden. Front yard or backyard? Front yard plants should draw the eye to your home instead of overpowering it. Complementary colors and lower-growing plants are often good choices. Backyard gardens can be more personal and allow for a greater variety of plant choices. You don’t need to be as conscious of color choice, height and other factors in reference to stealing attention from your home. Know how much time you’ll be spending in the garden. Some plants require a lot of care, while others grow well even when neglected. If you like to weed, dead-head and trim, you may be well-suited for flowers and plants that need constant maintenance. If you’re the hands-off type, consider plants that need little trimming or attention. Be open to outside help. Planting may seem easy, but consider hiring a professional if you’re planting expensive trees, shrubs or complex gardens. Planting technique dictates how well a plant grows in a certain space, and soil must be prepared with the proper mulch, compost and fertilizer. Also, each plant’s hole must be correctly sized—planting holes that are too shallow or too deep can kill trees and shrubs in mere weeks by not providing the right amount of air, water and growing room. A professional landscape contractor will have the tools and knowledge to make sure your plants are installed correctly.

Better Business Bureau, Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce, California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA)

Manzanita Landscape Construction, Inc.

They are a great professional company that thrives on succeeding the customers vision by listening to their needs.They did everything well. I was very happy with the finished product.

NothingThey did a good job. They were very accurate and delivered within budget.

The service was good and they are very accommodating. They give you what they want and find a way to make you happy.They have a great design service. They are very prompt and clean.

They are very easy to work with. They cleaned up after themselves. They stayed busy with the job but completed the work.They variety of services was well put together. The estimate was exactly what I wanted. I was very happy with the finished product.

Really great service, they were able to meet our vision and brought their own expertise to it.They were on top of every detail like with our HOA. They knew everything to do.

Nice people and they know their product.Whenever I had a problem, they resolved it.

I think they did a great job from start to finish. They were a great value.The result, it came out looking really good.

They listened really carefully when I told them what I wanted, and the designer was really careful to follow what I wanted.The people

They did an excellent job with the construction and planning. They were also able to do it faster than they estimated.They gave us very great ideas for the project.

They were thorough, fast and did exceptional work.I didn't have to manage them. They created and carried out the plan well.

Manzanita Landscape Construction, Inc. (MLCI) is a Design-Build company that takes its clients’ projects from start to finish and beyond.

MANZANITA LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION, INC. - 241 Surveys, Videos, Articles, & More

SANTA ROSA — In addition to the lost homes and businesses, large portions of the landscapes in Napa and Sonoma Counties were destroyed by the recent North Bay fires, including both private and public areas. However, despite the current desolate appearance of the once-lush North Bay countryside, there is cause for hope—hope that nature can, and will, reverse the damage.
For example, many of the large trees that now appear singed and stressed out will survive and return to their former health. Even if their trunks and branches were badly damaged, most trees’ roots have likely been spared because they’re situated safely underground. In a few months, the winter rains will rejuvenate these roots and, in turn, revitalize the trees.
For this reason, if any trees on your property were damaged in the fire, don’t remove them unless you’re absolutely sure they’re gone. You can check this by peeling back their bark and observing the cambium layer beneath. If you see green or light-colored growth, that’s a good sign. With some judicious pruning and trimming, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to save your trees.
This isn’t the only example of how nature will reverse the damage sustained by the landscape. In areas where the fires decimated much of the vegetative growth, the absence of shade will allow the soil to receive full sunlight exposure. This, combined with the winter rains, will result in a flurry of vegetative growth come spring and a resurgence of many native plants.
Wildlife will also play a role in the landscape’s recovery. The insects will do their part by eating the dead wood and ash left by the fire. The thriving insect population will provide the animals, now returning home or coming out of hiding, with plenty to eat in lieu of the missing foliage. So, even if the landscape seems deserted now, you can expect to see many signs of life in the coming months.
While the destruction wrought by the North Bay fires is heartbreaking, there’s going to be a lot of restoration and rebirth in these areas. It may take some time, but then again, it may happen quicker than you expect. So, be patient. Don’t make any rash decisions about your landscape. Wait to see what the spring brings. In any case, one thing is for certain: The North Bay will regain its former beauty once again.

In the wake of the recent North Bay fires, a professional landscape designer offers some hopeful insights on the landscape's imminent recovery.

By Linda Gottuso-Guay of {BR} Manzanita Landscape Construction, Inc.

Cause for Hope: Understanding the Landscape Recovery Process Following the North Bay Fires

SANTA ROSA — Host, Sarah Rutan: If your landscape was damaged by the recent North Bay Fires, you’ll want to get a professional’s insight on what to do moving forward. Today we’re in Santa Rosa with Diamond Certified Expert Contributor Linda Gottuso-Guay of Manzanita Landscape Construction to learn more.
Diamond Certified Expert Contributor, Linda Gottuso-Guay: Hi. I’m here to discuss all the severe fires that we had in Napa and Sonoma Counties. A lot of us lost our landscaping, our beautiful woodlands. And I want to offer some hope to how this can be reversed – and how it will be reversed, just by nature itself. A lot of our critters in the woodlands were either burrowing, or flying away, or ran away. They can smell the fire coming from miles. And they hid themselves very well. Now you’re going to see  them come out.
We’re also going to get some new critters. We’re also going to get some new insects. They’re going to come and want to eat that dead wood.  This is what they do. They’re going to come in from all over. They’re going to eat things. They’re going to get nice and fat. Other critters are going to eat them, and other birds are going to come in – different species that we don’t even have, that we didn’t have around here, you’re going to see come in. That’s just the evolution of life and the cycle of life.
Some of the large trees that you see are singed and stressed out will probably also come back. Most likely, their roots have been spared and saved. Especially now that we’re going to get the winter rains, that will help them and rejuvenate them. This is also the same for your home landscaping. Don’t take down those trees until you’re absolutely sure it’s gone – completely gone. There’s a cambium layer that you can scrap apart. And if you see any green or any light, that’ll come back. With some judicious pruning and trimming, we can save a lot of things for you.
So, don’t tear out your landscaping quite yet. Let’s see what happens over the winter and the new growth for spring. I’m looking forward to getting our beautiful topography back in Sonoma and Napa Counties. I have every bit of faith that it will. This fire burnt out the underbrush and the growth. Now we’re going to see the native plants come back; now we’re giving them light to the forest ground. We’re going to see our native plants come back. This isn’t all bad; there’s a lot of hope; a lot of rejuvenation; and a lot of rebirth that’s going to happen in these forests. And you’ll see it over the next year or two. It’ll happen quicker than you think. Take care.
Host, Sarah Rutan: To learn more from local, top rated companies, visit our Diamond Certified Expert Reports at experts.diamondcertified.org.
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If your landscape was damaged by the recent North Bay Fires, you’ll want to get a professional’s insight on what to do moving forward.

With Linda Gottuso-Guay of {BR} Manzanita Landscape Construction, Inc.

Video: Landscaping After the North Bay Fires

<h1>Linda Gottuso-Guay: A Natural Gift</h1>
<h6>By James Florence, Diamond Certified Resource Reporter</h6>
SANTA ROSA — When asked how she got into landscaping, Linda Gottuso-Guay credits both an innate ability and an uncommon opportunity. “I really believe part of it is genetic,” she says. “I come from a family of farmers on my mother’s side, and my father was a great artist and musician, so I was gifted with a passion for both nature and art. Later, when I met my husband, James, he recognized the natural talent I had. He was a structural engineer, and after we got married, we decided to put our talents together and form a landscaping business. Between his knowledge of construction and my artistic eye, we make a great team. We’ve been working together for more than 40 years, and now our daughter and her husband have joined us in the business, so it has become a real family affair.”
Today, as vice president of Manzanita Landscape Construction, Inc., Linda says she enjoys the process of arranging plants to both practical and artistic effect. “With the sheer diversity of plants available, knowing how to arrange them is crucial. I enjoy taking all the different elements and making them work together to create beautiful and functional outdoor spaces.”
When she’s not remodeling landscapes, Linda can often be found working on her own home and property in Santa Rosa. “Over the years, James and I have made a lot of custom touches to our home,” she says. “I’m always redoing the interior or the landscape—that’s the designer in me, I can’t help it.” Linda also enjoys cooking at home and spending time with friends and family. “Many of our past clients have become good friends, so if we go out to dinner or host a party, it’s usually with them. We feel very blessed to have these long-term relationships.”
When asked what she’d do if she were to retire tomorrow, Linda says she’d divide her efforts between travel and philanthropy. “My husband and I have an RV, and we would love to take it out for a month at a time and tour the country. Assuming I had the money, I would also like to be involved in philanthropy. I love animals—I used to raise therapy dogs—and I would definitely be interested in supporting a cause like ending animal abuse.”
Ask Me Anything!
Q: What’s your favorite kind of food? 
A: I’m Italian, so Italian food, of course.
Q: Do you collect anything? 
A: Plants. I’m a plantaholic.
Q: What’s your favorite holiday? 
A: It’s a tie between Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Q: What was your favorite Halloween costume as a child? 
A: A cat.
Q: What’s the best gift you’ve ever received? 
A: There are a few. One is the snow skis my parents bought for me when I was a child. They didn’t have a lot of money, so that was very special. As an adult, I’d have to say the best gift was my children. I’ll also include the love notes my husband has written me over the years—I’ve kept them all.

Vice President

Linda Gottuso-Guay: A Natural Gift By James Florence, Diamond Certified Resource Reporter SANTA ROSA — When asked how she got into landscaping, Linda Gottuso-Guay credits both an innate ability and an uncommon opportunity. “I really believe part of it is genetic,” she says. “I come from a family of farmers on my mother’s side, and my father was a great artist and musician, so I was gifted with a passion for both nature and art. Later, when I met my husband, James, he recognized the natural talent I had. He was a structural engineer, and after we got married, we decided to put our talents together and form a landscaping business. Read more

Linda Gottuso-Guay is vice president of Manzanita Landscape Construction, Inc., a Diamond Certified company since 2004. She can be reached at (707) 602-7947 or by email.

Linda Gottuso-Guay: A Natural Gift

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Manzanita Landscape Construction, Inc. designs, installs and maintains landscapes for residential clients throughout Sonoma County.

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