Spring presents a literal opportunity for us to watch life begin again, especially in the garden which looks spectacular right now. The plants are shouting their delight. Potential is everywhere.

Even the “weeds” are putting on a show with beds full of purple and white wood hyacinth, light blue forget me-nots, and white onion grass flowers. Soon we’ll move into the work of summer clearing, but we’re savoring the spring beauty, the literal and figurative examples of rebirth.

At the same time, we see spring as a time to reflect on the past, consider lessons learned, and move forward with intention. We’ve been revisiting the writings of Lester Hawkins and Marshall Olbrich as part of this exercise. Thankfully, Pacific Horticulture has a wonderful archive.

One of the pieces we recently read for the first time was Marshall’s article, Gardens in Youth and Age, which was printed posthumously as it was awaiting correction when he died.

The article is a primer for his learnings over 30 years as a plantsman at Western Hills and his perspective about how gardens change over time. He writes about the garden as a “giant clockwork” with different “gears” (plants, shrubs, and perennials) spinning at different speeds — resulting in new landscapes and requirements with each passing hour, day, month, year….

“The gardener’s life is not shortened by the garden because the garden is not a timeless paradise but as vulnerable and mortal as ourselves. The answer probably is not to be found in philosophical reflection but in weeding and watering. There is so much to be done, so much to anticipate.”

We feel that energy as we move into this spring season, launch new programming, build new partnerships, and meet new people. We are building an extended network — those who see possibility in this place and the promise of plants as a way to let ideas, big and small, take root.

The well-regarded LA landscape designer, Chris Rosmini wrote Marshall’s obituary, which was also published in Pacific Horticulture. She talked about the influence Marshall had on the field of horticulture, his peers, and new generations of gardens. How he and Lester built a haven for conversation and activity of horticulture, garden design, and extremely hard work.

We are honored to steward this legacy and to move this vision forward as we expand our preservation team, programming, and partnerships. Come visit soon. Engage with our talented, creative teaching artists in a class or workshop. And stay tuned for what’s ahead.

We have always imagined the garden as a place for solace and respite. Tida Beattie and Soyeun Davis are helping bring this idea to life.

These two women became part of the WHG story last December when we met at our NOURISH solstice celebration, and they shared a bit about their work as cultural grief practitioners. They left a secret flower labyrinth at their next visit. We finally had a phone call to discuss the possibilities of a partnership project. MESO , the organization they co-founded, addresses the challenges of caregiving, unspoken loss, and grief with culturally informed workshops, online courses, and 1:1 or community grief support.

On April 27th, they are making it happen. Tida and Soyeun will build a temporary labyrinth in the WHG Commons as part of their Rest in Grief: Meditations on Ecological Change workshop. The 2-hour session will center our collective and personal climate change/grief and cultivate possibility and hope amidst the generosity of the garden. It will include meditations, labyrinths, and storytelling along with space for quiet processing and sharing.

The emotional toll of climate change is something just starting to become part of the cultural narrative. The NYT recently did an interesting piece about how people are coming together across the world to discuss their fears and anxiety and to identify ways for action.

We are excited to join this movement by partnering with MESO on this offering. Registration is $60. Capacity is 30. We always save two spaces for students, teachers or those with financial constraints in our programming — email [email protected]) to inquire.

Ferns date back millenia, and every year their unfurling is remarkable. We have dozens of varieties here in the garden. Researching what they all are is on the “to do” list. One of the first lessons we learned about ferns came from an early volunteer, Ray Goodenough, who used to have a beat in the SF Botanical Garden. He said to cut the fronds all the way back to the base when they are spent, making sure to protect the new fiddleheads. It’s more work, but it will be worth it in the spring. Great advice.

Western Hills Garden is a fiscally-sponsored nonprofit organization with a mission to link people, plants, and place to possibility. Support our work by visiting the garden, becoming a member, spreading the word about us, or making a tax-deductible donation.

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