Meet Frank

Frank Niccoli has been a gardener for over 55 years. It all began when he was seven and his grandmother taught him the magic found in seeds. He’s been hooked ever since.

He views his mission as one to teach his peers, and anyone who will listen, to change from a petroleum based, ornamental landscape management program to a solar-based system.  The plants figured it out 1 billion years ago, and he hopes people will, soon.

In addition to his passion for gardening, he is also an accomplished cook and a poet.

He Studied Hard
Frank has a degree in horticulture having studied at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and at the College of San Mateo. He also has a degree in Business Psychology from The University of San Francisco.

He Started A Company

His company, The Village Gardener, has been managing landscapes of all sizes for 37 years, and he is a pioneer in the use of organic and sustainable gardening methods. He often freely shares this knowledge with his competitors.

Professionally Speaking

Frank is the past president of the founding chapter of the California Landscape Contractors Association. He was voted Member of the Year by his peers in 2001 and in 2004.

He served for 8 years as Director of Resource Management for the California Landscape Contractors Association. Under his leadership, CLCA has developed a Water Management program that is currently being used by over 600 landscape contractors in California. He is currently the California State Presidnt-Elect of the CLCA.

He is a member of and has served for 3 years on the Board for the Association of Professional Landscape Designers.

His company, The Village Gardener, has won 3 Sweepstakes Awards (best garden out of all entries) in addition to winning numerous First Place and Achievement Awards for Construction and Maintenance.

Frank has built 4 gardens at the prestigious San Francisco Flower and Garden Show winning 2 gold medals, 2 silver medals and a bronze.

He served as the Chairman for the Environmental Sustainability Task Force for the City of Foster City providing 59 recommendations to the City on how to be more sustainable.

A Teacher & Researcher

Frank has written the curriculum and teaches numerous classes at Foothill College—Turf Management, Ground Cover and Vines, Shrubs, California Natives, Landscape Lighting, Integrated Pest Management, Sustainable Integrated Pest Management, Grasses, Bamboos, Palms, and Veggie Gardens.  Most recently he developed a water conservation class that will be taught to train other water managers.

He teaches from the perspective of a contractor who has been in the business for 37 years and with a passion for sustainability and environmental stewardship.

He also is a Researcher with Fairfield Osborn Preserve and Galbreath Preserve attached to Sonoma State University.

Part Of The Community

Frank has donated his company’s services often. Recently he taught (pro bono) a group of Hispanic gardeners in the Redwood City area for 7 months, 4 hours a week, showing them how to become landscape contractors, how to manage an Integrated Pest Management program in their businesses, and how to conserve water in their landscapes.

Show Biz Credentials

In 2011, Frank was honored to be on the Oprah Winfrey Network as one of those whose small acts is making a difference to the environmental health of the planet.

Whether speaking to local groups or participating on the national stage, Frank Niccoli not only “plants smiles”, he generates, nurtures and grows ideas.

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