About Billy Goodnick

Santa Barbara Landscape Architect / Garden Designer

I wasn’t always a landscape architect specializing in affordable, low-water gardens in a wide range of styles! While enjoying a successful career as an LA studio drummer, I discovered the world of plants via bonsai and Japanese gardens. My studies in ornamental horticulture led to work in nursery sales, landscape installation, garden maintenance and design. Frustrated with my limited arsenal – and increasingly frequent visits to the chiropractor – I returned to school and earned a degree with honors in landscape architecture from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and landed a sweet gig as City Landscape Architect for Santa Barbara.

My 20+ years of work with the Parks & Recreation Department included designing and managing the construction of parks, playgrounds and public gardens and developing policies that continue to enhance the public spaces of one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

Not one to sit on my haunches, in 1990, I developed an entertaining and informative adult education class to demystify garden design for homeowners, then took a teaching position at the local community college. I co-created and hosted the public TV show Garden Wise Guys (now Garden Wise) and in 2013, authored a highly popular book on residential landscape design. Yards: Turn Any Outdoor Space Into the Garden of Your Dreams, St. Lynn’s Press, was a popular hit and led to lectures at botanical gardens and appearances at garden shows around the country. Throughout these years, I built my landscape consulting business to serve homeowners in the greater Santa Barbara area.