Vista Gardens

Directing Vista Gardens has meant helping a singular garden become more visible, more welcoming, and more alive in the public imagination. Vista Gardens already held extraordinary beauty, depth, and horticultural knowledge. My work has been to help open the gates wider through thoughtful programming, public outreach, partnerships, tours, workshops, and storytelling, so more people can discover what is here and understand why it matters.

My role also lives in direct experience with the public. I lead tours through the garden, helping visitors slow down, look closely, and notice the relationships between plants, design, seasonality, and place. I also work with school children, introducing them to pollinators and ecology through hands-on experiences in the garden. Those moments of discovery, especially with young people, are among the most meaningful parts of my work.

Learning from our founder, John Albers, has also been an important part of this journey. His lifelong knowledge of plants and climate-responsive gardening continues to deepen my own understanding of the landscape and shape how I share it with others.

What moves me most is seeing people leave with a changed sense of what a garden can offer: beauty, calm, curiosity, knowledge, and connection. At Vista Gardens, I have worked to strengthen that experience while helping position the garden for long-term growth, resilience, and deeper community engagement.