Above garden featured in our April 8th LA garden tour. Design and photo: Jacky Surber, Urbafloria
DESIGNER PROFILE: Richard Hayden
A Sure Bet for the Gamble Garden
For those of you who are only just now meeting Richard Hayden as the new garden director of the Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden and board member of the Bay Area District of APLD-CA, I would like to tell you how lucky you are to have this gem of a man in your midst.
I had the distinct pleasure of serving as Richard’s vice president while he was president of the Greater LA District in 2011-2012. After a subsequent five-year stint as head gardener at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, he has relocated to Palo Alto for this new position.
The Gamble Garden is in for a treat with Richard on board, not only for his wickedly wonderful sense of humor and a heart as enormous as his charm, but for his true love of design and plant-geek status.
His goals are to attract more visitors to the garden, incorporate updates that fully embrace the watershed approach, and engage more children though educational opportunities.
The Gamble Garden in Palo Alto
In the few months since Richard joined the Gamble Garden, he has already identified numerous areas for revamping. The first will be a 70’ x 14’ pollinator garden, which has already been designed and is just waiting for the rains to ease up before being planted. He will talk about this in his June 27 presentation to APLD Bay Area District “From Traditional to Sustainable: Renovation of a Historic Garden” at 3pm at Gamble Garden in Palo Alto. Sign up for this event at apld-6-27-18.eventbrite.com
When I expressed to Richard how happy I was to have him back in the leadership of APLD he replied, “What better way to get plugged into the community than to reach out to my brothers and sisters at APLD?” Indeed, among the wonderful benefits of APLD is the connection with people and the sharing of ideas and resources.
Go visit the Gamble Garden and say hi to Richard. Tell him I sent you.
APLD AUTHORS:
Nan Sterman
HOT COLOR, DRY GARDEN
San Diego District member Nan Sterman has written an exciting new book: Hot Color, Dry Garden: Inspiring Designs and Vibrant Plants for the Waterwise Gardener. Due for release April 8 by Timber Press, it showcases 15 colorful, low-water gardens across California, Arizona, and New Mexico, where low rainfall is the norm. The book offers a wealth of information on revolutionizing our plant choices and garden practices to create exuberant gardens that thrive in low-water conditions. Her advice for adding color to the garden is enhanced with tips on designing for structure and texture. And her directory of drought-tolerant plants is dazzling.
Nan Sterman
APLD San Diego District
Nan grew up in the sun-drenched San Fernando Valley and studied botany at Duke University. After consulting for Fortune 500 companies and numerous nonprofits, including botanical gardens, Nan became garden editor for San Diego Home Garden Lifestyle magazine.
A prolific writer, she has penned award-winning articles for the Los Angeles Times, the San Diego Union Tribune, Sunset Magazine, Organic Gardening Magazine and Pacific Horticulture. Her books include California Gardener's Guide vII, and (with coauthors Mary Irish, Judith Phillips, and Joe Lamp'l). Nan is a regular guest on Midday Edition, a San Diego public radio talk show, and has appeared on numerous other local and national shows. She is also a popular speaker at garden shows and is on several advisory committees.
A founding board member of the APLD San Diego District, Nan also somehow finds time to design water-wise gardens for many bedazzled clients.