Charming California Country Farmhouse

Northern California Farmhouse and Garden Tour

When Beverly Wesman went in search of a sunny spot to garden—and a retreat from San Francisco—she wound up with much more than she'd bargained for: namely, an 1890s farmhouse on two-plus acres and a whole new way of life.

By Susan Heeger

Home Grown

You know the old Bay Area adage, the one about the coldest winter being a summer spent in San Francisco? Well, it's no joke to Beverley Wesman. The passionate gardener, frustrated by weather too foggy and chilly for tomatoes, was also eager to escape the confines of her tiny urban backyard in the city's Jordan Park neighborhood. Which is why, eight years ago, she and her husband, Robert, looked to the warmer inlands of Sebastopol for a weekend place. 

Living Room

Beverley managed to decorate the shared getaway in three months flat, in part because she kept everything white. But ease and pleasing a crowd weren't the only reasons she chose a pared-down palette—it also allowed her to save money by slipcovering furniture she already owned. Plus, Beverley explains, her beloved quirky vintage finds called out for a clean backdrop: "I love old objects, and they really pop against white."

Kitchen

After two years of searching, the Wesmans discovered an 1890s farm three miles outside Sebastopol that had once been owned by landscape designer Mary Reid, who'd planted its two-plus acres with free-form perennial beds, lots of trees, and native ferns. Inside the 2,400-square-foot home? A huge kitchen, vaulted ceilings, and built-in bookcases. "It was perfect," says Beverley, "but we couldn't afford it." Before giving up, though, she returned to the house for one last tour, this time with a friend in tow. The two women hatched a plan—they'd buy the property together.

Bedroom

Beverley used green accents—dishware, throw pillows, bed linens—to echo the verdant landscape beyond the windows.

Out Back

An old bench occupies the guesthouse porch, edged with Japanese skimmia. 'Blushing Bride' hydrangeas bloom in a galvanized tub.

Backyard

The Wesmans' most dramatic move: clearing the bramble field to make room for a pool and to expose sweeping views of a neighboring vineyard.

Guesthouse

'Blushing Bride' hydrangeas and 'Morning Light' ornamental grasses soften the path to Beverley's 700-square-foot guesthouse with a wraparound porch.

Walkway

Beverley renovated the gardens, too, with help from Oakland landscape designer Tod Rimrodt, who cleaned up the overgrown perennial beds and refreshed gravel paths that connect the landscape's many nooks and crannies. Rimrodt also devised raised beds for Beverley's herbs and vegetables, and Robert planted pear, plum, and peach saplings near the old apple trees.

Country Living