Joyful, wild, and unexpected.
Plant that makes you swoon:
Kalanchoe beharensis is my spirit plant. I am forever in its thrall.
Favorite go-to plant:
For its soft form and movement, Lomandra ‘Platinum Beauty’ turns up in our designs over and over again. The way the foliage catches light always delights. For a more graphic punch, Aloe attract hummingbirds and humans alike with its candelabra torches. The vibrant blooms are a welcome sight in winter months.
Hardest gardening lesson you’ve learned:
Know your soil! If a plant wants sharp drainage and you’re planting in heavy clay, it’s not going to work out.
Unpopular gardening opinion:
Low maintenance is not no maintenance. Even gravel needs to be raked.
Gardening or design trend that needs to go:
All natives plants all the time can be a bit limiting for a cultivated garden. I like to loosen the reins and weave in compatible climate-appropriate cultivars.
Favorite gardening hack:
Worm castings, aka worm poop, is a cure-all for many things. I like to lay it an inch deep under the dripline of fruit trees to combat leaf curl and white fly.
Favorite way to bring the outdoors in.
Grow something edible and make something delicious to eat or drink! We have a house apertif made from our white grapefruit tree that we bottle in the winter and serve up throughout the year, inside and out.
Every garden needs a…
Fragrant plant. The perfume of a citrus blossom or the spicy notes of native sage are transporting.
Go-to gardening outfit:
Long sleeves and my cowboy hat. The hat goes where I go.
Favorite nursery, plant shop, or seed company:
Flora Grubb Gardens, the extraordinary San Francisco botanical emporium recently opened a flagship nursery in Los Angeles. Flora and her team of horticulturalists, fellow plant nerds, and designers staff the enviable displays of winning plant combinations, pots, and furnishings. [See Quick Takes With: Flora Grubb.]
On your wishlist:
I dream of creating a garden in partnership with The Birdsong Project. A place people can visit to share music and poetry, experience birds, insects, and wildlife within an urban landscape, and learn about how even small green spaces can provide meaningful food and shelter for many.
Not-to-be-missed public garden/park/botanical garden:
Southern California is favored with two of the most incredible gardens in the world—Lotusland in Montecito and The Huntington Botanical Garden in San Marino. Both offer a multitude of otherworldly environments, ranging from traditional and formal gardens to more unique and maverick explorations.
The REAL reason you garden:
I love to get my hands dirty, hang out with birds and butterflies, and watch things grow.
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