“It’s not easy taking this earth canvas, sculpting it with landscapes, painting it with flora, creating joy for even the ignorant.”
Know plants to grow plants
As a botanist, I have worked for the U.S. Forest Service monitoring post-fire regeneration in the Sierras, for the City of Eugene assisting with wetland restoration, and for the UC Davis Bee Lab, helping to understand native bee visitation in agricultural systems with native hedgerows. These jobs taught me the plants of California—those which create the landscapes that we know and love here in this beautiful state.
My experience as a native plant gardener began at three different botanic gardens during graduate school (UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, Denver Botanic Garden, Betty Ford Alpine Garden). The living collections at these gardens—each focused on the native plants found in their respective regions—taught me how to apply my knowledge towards growing plants to the standards of our most prestigious horticultural environments. Additional experience working on a small organic farm has given me the skills to integrate vegetable gardens with native plant habitats.
Welcome to gardens of the past and future
Moonpie Gardens is a one-woman show where I proudly work with you to design, build, and maintain native plant gardens that serve humans, animals, and the environment. The gardens I build increase natural resources in urban spaces while also using minimal water, materials, and energy. To accomplish this, I leverage my expertise as a university-trained botanist, horticulturist, and educator to make the most of my unyielding passion for plants, soil, and power tools. I would love to work with you and your garden as we rewild the urban space together.
From seed to shoot to flower to fruit
My interest in plants began as a kid, evaluating popcorn kernels for the science fair, making pH buffer solution out of purple cabbage, and creating my own paper out of ornamental papyrus from the backyard (it took a week to make one sheet of paper!). I have come a long way since the science fair, becoming the first person in my family to study science when I received a B.S. in Plant Biology (Botany) and, later, an M.S. in Horticulture and Agronomy from UC Davis. I have since worked as a botanist, farmer, horticulturist, homesteader, gardener, and garden designer—an all around lover of plants.
Get your plant goggles on
Most recently before becoming a gardener, I was the Public Programs Coordinator for the Jepson Herbarium—a botany museum that is part of the consortium of UC Berkeley Natural History Museums—in which I managed the biggest botany education program in California. I have taught basic botany courses to college students, biology professionals, members of California’s tribal communities, hobbyists, and even a group of Girl Scouts earning their botany badges.
In 2020, I pivoted to become a native plant garden designer and fine gardener, helping clients envision a small piece of land that is both curated and wild. Gardens make the perfect classroom for continuing my commitment to educating others about plants and building meaningful relationships with my clients. I love to answer your questions and show you the exciting spectacle in your garden that day. There is even more to see than the obvious: Have you seen the star-shaped trichomes (hairs) on the leaves of the checker mallow? What about the striking undersides of the leaf of the red buckwheat? Or the fuzzy fruits of the mountain mahogany? Hang on tight, there is so much to see!
Fighting the good fight
With every new native plant garden planted, I am working to normalize native plants in the urban landscape and show how they are radically more beautiful, resourceful, and sustainable than non-native ornamental gardens. Each garden teaches the value of rewilding the urban landscape to multitudes of passers-by, serving as an important outreach tool that speaks for itself. I fell into this work because I fell in love with plants, and each garden I build inspires me to keep doing this work.
Click here view my full resume.