Blog

In January of this year, I offered to help a non-profit manage their recently-acquired 12-acre site in Trabuco Canyon. The group is called The Teen Project and is run by Lauri Burns. Lauri recently acquired the former Boys Town site and was looking for a way to install five large lawns inexpensively and quickly. I offered to help her install California native plants and together we began planning what became known as Vera's Gardens.

I designed three front lawn areas and a butterfly garden with the help of Tree of Life Nursery. The California Native Plant Society offered to help me install the plants. In February and March between rainstorms, we installed 350 California plants, and we removed four semi-truck loads of invasive weeds.

We continue to remove invasive species including ice plant, mustard and fountain grass. The abundant winter rains helped the plants establish well and the lawns are already looking beautiful.  

I love this work so much that I have decided to devote more time to working outdoors. Through this project, I have met people who are quietly rehabilitating land throughout Orange County. I enjoy working together with people who are passionate about removing invasive species and re-establishing native landscapes.  

I will continue to make art too.  Time is fluid, allowing plenty of time for art-making and for landscape rehabilitation.  

Did you know that the mustard you see growing everywhere in our parks and wild lands sterilizes the soil?  I hope to reduce the spread of mustard by helping groups hand-pull the weed, and replacing it with native wild land plants.