Napa's single-source landscape firm since 1988
About Penning Landscapes
The Penning Family's Lifelong Journey in Landscaping
Penning Landscapes is a family-owned, single-source landscape firm in Napa that has designed, built, and maintained estate, winery and hospitality gardens across Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley since 1988. One team designs, one team builds, and one team maintains, so the people who know your property are the same people caring for it year after year. That continuity is what estate managers, private estate owners, and winery property directors rely on.
Penning Landscapes was founded by Lou Penning, whose passion for plants and landscapes grew while he worked as a gardener at Joseph Phelps Vineyard in Napa. His creativity and skill quickly led him to design and create enduring landscapes on his own, beginning a lifelong study of the balance between plants, water, and soil.
Recognizing the challenges of the region's environment, including heat, varying soils, and water scarcity, Lou learned what thrives in Napa Valley's microclimates. He believed landscapes are living things that change over time, and he set out to create spaces that were beautiful at planting and would keep developing and thriving for decades.
Under his son Ben Penning, Penning continues to apply Lou's approach across design, build, maintenance, and plant health. Grounded in deep knowledge of Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley soil, water, and climate, the team does not just build gardens. It watches over them, so they flourish for years to come.
Penning Landscapes: Our Napa-Based Design, Build & Maintenance Experts
Penning treats a landscape as a living system, not a finished product. The same crews return season after season, watching how plants, water, and soil behave on each property and adjusting as the garden matures. Design, build, maintenance, plant health, irrigation, and lighting all run through one accountable team, which is why a project handed off at install does not get lost between vendors.
A life with a garden where plants, trees, flowers, and vegetables thrive is a life well lived.
More than 50 Penning Team Members are Ready to Support You:
4 Designers & Landscape Architects
3 Irrigation Experts
1 Enhancement Crew
Vegetable Gardener
6 Maintenance Crews
4 Construction Crews
Plant Health & Resilience Experts
14 in Management, Operations & Admin
The Penning Team
Ben Penning
President
Years of Experience: 20+
Degrees & Certifications:
- Bachelor of Arts, San Diego State University
- Irrigation Auditor
- Qualified Applicator Certificate (QAC)
- Bay Friendly Certified
Most rewarding part of your job: The partnerships with clients and their families that last for years.
Wendy Carter Jordan
Office Manager & Bookkeeper
Years of Experience: 20+
Favorite plant & why: Favorite flower is the Dahlia. They are beautiful and delicate with plenty of character and come in a wide variety of flower shapes, sizes and colors.
Most rewarding part of your job: I love working with our passionate and caring team!
Sha-Khan Starks
Landscape Designer
Years of Experience: 15
Degrees & Certifications:
- Bachelor of Arts in Landscape Architecture, UC Berkeley
- Master Gardener Trained
Most rewarding part of your job: When we convert our install clients into maintenance clients. The client choosing to continue their partnership with Penning means that we’ve delivered a superior product.
Gemme Von Knopka
Vegetable Garden Manager
Years of Experience: 20+
Degrees & Certifications:
- Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies
Most rewarding part of your job: I love seeing the progress of the plants grown from a seed until production - it's pretty amazing!
Cody Thomas
Irrigation & Water Resource Manager
Years of Experience: 20+
Degrees & Certifications:
- CLCA Certified Irrigation Technician
- Irrigator Tech Certified Irrigation Technician
- Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL)
Most rewarding part of your job: I love solving complex challenges and implementing innovative solutions to conserve water and improve the efficiency of our client’s irrigation systems.
Ali White
Maintenance Operations Manager
Years of Experience: 20+
Degrees & Certifications:
- Bachelor of Arts in Biology
- Bachelor of Science in Plant Science
- Rescape Qualified Professional
- Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL)
- Urban Forester Certified
Most rewarding part of your job: Bringing joy to clients and employees!
Steve Cole
Maintenance Account Manager
Years of Experience: 20+
Degrees & Certifications:
- Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, California State University Fullerton
- ISA Certified Arborist
- Qualified Applicators License
Favorite plant & why: I love the coast tea tree (Leptospermum laevigatum) because of its twisted trunk, small leaves, and unassuming white flowers. It reminds me of trips to the arboretum with my grandmother as a child.
Tim Ryan
Drafter/ Estimator
Years of Experience: 9+
Degrees & Certifications:
- B.S in education from Illinois State University
- M.A. in Painting from Governors State University
- Certificate in Landscape Arch from U.C. Berkeley Extension
Most rewarding part of the job: Being part of a team that is making my community more beautiful one property at a time.
Favorite plant & why: Too many to choose from, but maybe the Pineapple Guava because it is evergreen, has a beautiful flower and produces a delicious fruit.
Brandon Augustine
Maintenance Production Manager
Years of Experience: 25+
Degrees & Certifications:
- AS in Telecommunications
- Certified Water Auditor Program - City of Dublin
- Landscape Irrigation design - Weathermatic
- Low volume irrigation design - Netafim
- Filtration and fluid dynamics - Amiad
- Landscape lighting design – Vista Landscape Lighting
- Backflow & Irrigation valve service/repair - RCOparts
- Chemical Safety & Storage - Automatic Rain University
- Erosion Control, Soils, Plant Science, Organic & Biodynamic Farming
Most rewarding part of the job: Witnessing the beauty that each season brings to a well-maintained landscape.
Brian Casmey
Installation Project Manager
Years of Experience: 15+
Degrees & Certifications:
- Horticulture Design Certification, Santa Rosa Junior College
- Project Management Certificate, Sonoma State University
- QWEL Certification
Meet the Team Behind Penning Landscapes’ Enduring Outdoor Designs
Private Estate Owners
Estate Managers
Wineries & Hospitality Properties
Landscape Designers & Architects
Trade Partners
Our Partners
Landscape Designers and Landscape Architects
- Peter Wendt
- Roche and Roche
- Jonathan Plant
- Penney Magrane
- Mayacamas Landscape Architecture
- Jack Chandler Design
- Kellie Carlin
- Lori Cagwin
- Native Valley Design
- Frederika Moller Landscape Architecture
- GL Landscaping
- Ron Herman
- John Greenelee
- Claudia Schmidt
- Hall Landscape Design
- Beckey Obershulte
- Marla Bird
- Lutsko Associates
- Thomas Church
- Erin Martin Design
General Contractors
- Total Concepts
- Cello & Maudru Construction
- Trainor Construction
- Wright Contracting
- Gar Rector & Associates
- Centric General Contractors
- Schmitt & Company
- Grassi & Associates
- Roscoe Construction
- Passivworks
Trade Partners
- Paradise Pools
- Bill Pramuk
- Britton Tree Services
- Pacific Tree Care
- Joe Branum Tree Care
- Bella Casa Property Management
- CMP Civil Engineering and Land Surveying
- Summit Engineering
- M3 General Engineering
- Naslund Concrete Contractors
- Oakville Pump Service
- Imboden Pump
- McLean & Williams Inc
- Doshier Gregson Inc
- Lumins Electric
- Pound Management
Penning Landscapes at a Glance
| Established | 1988 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Serving | Napa Valley, Sonoma and Glen Ellen estates and wineries | ||
| Recognition | 17 CLCA awards across more than two decades, including 2024 First Place Medium Commercial Maintenance at Mayacamas Vineyards, the 2025 CLCA Installation Sweepstakes at Domaine Chandon, and a 2022 CLCA State Trophy for small residential maintenance. | Water Management | QWEL-certified |