About

An older woman with short brown hair smiles while sitting outdoors on a wooden bench. She wears a wide-brimmed straw hat, a teal zip-up jacket, and earrings with a striped necklace. There is greenery and trees in the background.

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Linda J. Novy & Associates is a woman-owned sole proprietorship, launched in 2003. Our mission is to provide property owners with practical and ecologically-based recommendations for the management and improvement of their landscapes. We assess the property’s landscape assets — soil, irrigation systems, water budget, existing plantings, and other features. We then work with the property owner’s goals and budget to develop a management, rehabilitation, or redesigned landscape plan. We consider the ecological context of each site and apply sustainable Bay Friendly practices to each phase of the project, which results in a landscape that is beautiful, functional, and enduring.

Linda J. Novy & Associates works throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and is available nationally and internationally.

“That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics. That land yields a cultural harvest is a fact long known, but latterly often forgotten.”

— Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac, 1949

Linda J. Novy was President, CEO, and Owner of Gardeners’ Guild, Inc. from 1976 to 2003, and California licensed Landscape Contractor (C-27) from 1981 to 2003. Linda grew a small company from seven employees to over 125 employees, won numerous local, regional and national awards, spoke at state and regional conferences, and developed an award-winning management team. Linda sold the company to her employees in 2003, and Gardeners’ Guild, Inc. is now operating as a successful employee-owned company (ESOP).

Linda continued her education at College of Marin, Sonoma State University, and other professional organizations. Almost a decade ago, with several neighbors, she founded the Cascade Canyon Fire Wise USA group, the first certified in Fairfax, and has continued her education in “defensible space” vegetation management.

Linda is a Certified Rescape Professional, a Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper, and has earned her Sustainable Landscape Professional Certificate from Sonoma State University School of Extended Education. For years, she offered classes through College of Marin’s Community Education Department, and at local nurseries, with her sister, Norma, and grew and sold native, perennial and edible plants through Mellinor Farms.

She has a deep passion for environmental stewardship and introducing her clients to land stewardship. Her own landscape was certified as a Bay Friendly Landscape well over a decade ago.

Community Affiliations

Marin Conservation League

1998-2000 Board Member

2017 – 2018 1st VP

2018, 2019 President

Fairfax Lumber and Hardware

2014-2022 Board Member

Marin Horse Council

Past Board and VP

2022 – 2023 Board Member

2024-2026 President

2026 Current Treasurer

Marin Stables and Trails

Founder and past Board member

Marin County Volunteer Patrol

2002 to Present

Marin County Parks Open Space Commission

2 terms, Commissioner

Marin County Economic Commission

1 term, Commissioner

Marin County Integrated Pest Management commission

2 terms, Commissioner

Marin County Storm Water Pollution and Prevention Program,

Citizens Advisory Committee

2 terms, member.

Marin Municipal Water District, Citizens Advisory Committee

Chair, and member

A woman standing in a lush backyard garden with her arms outstretched and smiling. She is wearing a floral blouse and light-colored pants, with colorful flowers and greenery around her.

Professional Affiliations

Landscape Advisory Counsel, California Polytechnic University,
SLO Member 2 terms

California Landscape Contractors Association Board of Directors,
No. Bay Chapter
Board Member 1 term

Awards and Recognition

1984 Winner of MMWD Water Conservation Award

1998 Winner of National Association of Women Business Owners’ Association (NAWBO) “Trailblazer”

2000 Recipient of national Environmental Leadership Award from Associated Landscape Contractors of

America and Lawn and Landscape Magazine

2003 NAWBO and Wells Fargo Bank’s National Business Woman of the Year award.
2003 Sonoma Marin business Times Construction Contractor of the Year

2003 Gardeners’ Guild, Inc. Business of the Year, County of Marin

Speaking Engagements

Frequent speaker at Xeriscape conferences,
College of Marin, City College,

Master Gardeners, Rotary, nurseries, and other professional and community organizations.