Sherman Library & Gardens’ Lunch & Lecture Series Presented by South Coast Plaza

On select Wednesdays of the month, Sherman Gardens, in partnership with 608 Dahlia restaurant, will feature a horticulture speaker combined with a delicious lunch.

Scott LaFleur, Executive Director of Sherman Library & Gardens, and Program Chair for the Los Angeles Men’s Garden Club, has a long list of contacts from botanic gardens, horticulture, landscape design and beyond. As Program Chair, he has created many outstanding programs for the LA Men’s Garden Club. Teaming with Chef Jessica Roy at 608 Dahlia, we’re bringing back the in person Lunch & Lecture Series, presented by South Coast Plaza.

Kyle Cheesborough: Mother Nature’s Gardens – Wild Plant Communities and Landscape Design

Wednesday, January 12, 2021

11:30 am – Lunch
12:00 pm – Lecture

Sherman Library & Gardens’ new Horticulture Director, Kyle Cheesborough will be the featured speaker at our January 12th Lunch & Lecture.

Mother Nature has always been Gardener Supreme, creating landscapes rich in color, texture, form, function, and seasonality. Natural plant communities showcase design principles that today’s leading landscape architects are bringing to the forefront in contemporary approaches to landscaping. Landscape artists like Piet Oudolf, Claudia West, and Noel Kingsbury are championing a return to the wilder side of gardening. Additionally, ecological pioneers like Doug Tallamy and E.O. Wilson stress the importance of incorporating native species and mimicking arrangements of wild plant communities. Observing, studying, and integrating aspects of natural landscapes (especially those devoid of invasive species and human impact) leads to long-lasting, sustainable, and beautiful gardens that serve both an ornamental and functional purpose. Along the lines of the adage ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, deriving inspiration from nature’s stunning palette can be very fruitful when considering design in our gardens.

Fee: $35 Member / $45 Non-Member

Lecture Only:
Free for Members – please email [email protected] for a reservation
$5 Non-Member

Past Lecture Recordings

Meet Teresa Sabankaya – Author of The Posy Book

Teresa Sabankaya is one of the most innovative floral designers in the San Francisco and Monterey Bay Area and has exhibited her floral art at numerous museums and flower shows including the Bouquets to Art exhibition at the DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park, the Monterey Museum of Art, and Filoli Mansion and Gardens, a National Trust Historic Site, where she is a regular instructor.

Her love of, or rather obsession with, the language of flowers spawned her creation of the modern-day posy. The posy is her favorite design in florals; a modern spin on a historic nosegay, these “little garden bouquets that tell a story” have a permanent place in her heart.

Teresa is the author of “The Posy Book” A book signing following her lecture.

Jim Folsom, Director Emeritus of The Huntington

Jim Folsom joined the Huntington staff in 1984 as assistant curator and was named director of the Botanical Gardens in 1987. Prior to retiring on December 31, 2020, Jim was charged with the stewardship, care and interpretation of more than a dozen thematic gardens that cover 130 acres of the 207-acre grounds. Jim stepped away from his role as the Marge and Sherm Telleen/Marion and Earle Jorgensen director of the Botanical Gardens at the Huntington Library on December 31, 2020.

“Jim’s indelible imprint on Huntington is everywhere. It can be seen in the gardens he has built, the botanical collections he has developed, the relationships he has nurtured with donors and in the passion for the natural world that he has shared enthusiastically through programs for young and old. We will miss the contributions of the Huntington’s one-of-a-kind Pied Piper of botany,” said Huntington President Karen Lawrence.

Jim has been quoted as saying, “I don’t know what I will do when I grow up,” but we do! Jim’s Lunch & Lecture talk on Wednesday, October 13th will be about the SoCal Mediterranean climate, what it means globally, and for the local gardener. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet the Huntington’s one-of-a-kind Pied Piper of botany!

A Garden Can Be Anywhere

Tuesday, May 11 @ 2 pm

Virtual Lecture and Q & A presented by Lauri Kranz, Edible Gardens LA

Edible Gardens LA founder Lauri Kranz will share her wisdom and her new book, ‘A Garden Can Be Anywhere: Creating Bountiful and Beautiful Edible Gardens’ in this virtual lecture and Q&A. Discover secrets for planning, planting, growing, and maintaining luscious edible gardens, no matter the setting or size of the plot. Through gorgeous gardens created for her clients, Lauri will reveal her essential methods for growing abundant organic food. Her practical guide is built around the philosophy that nourishment and beauty are not separate goals. It’s also at the forefront of a gardening revolution, where more and more people are craving a patch of land for growing healthy, organic food from their own gardens. A Garden Can Be Anywhere reveals Lauri’s knack for providing both beauty and bounty in her clients’ outdoor spaces.

Lauri Kranz is the founder of Edible Gardens LA, which builds, plants and maintains organic gardens across Los Angeles. Lauri fell in love with gardening when her son’s school needed volunteers and gardening was on the list. Now there isn’t a day that goes by that she doesn’t have her hands in the soil and she’s never been happier. Her client list has grown to include celebrities as well as top restaurants, museums and anyone interested in growing their own food.

The Botanical Collections of the Santa Ana Zoo

Virtual Lecture and Q & A presented by Ethan Fisher, Santa Ana Zoo Director

Wednesday, April 7 @ 2 pm

The 20-acre Santa Ana Zoo opened in 1952 focusing on the animals and plants of Central and South America. In recent years Ethan Fisher and his staff have recognized the untapped potential of the botanical side of the Zoo. In this virtual lecture Ethan will reveal the breadth of their plant collections and talk about his plans to use them as an exciting and important element of the zoo’s future.

Ethan Fisher became Zoo Director at Santa Ana Zoo in 2018. He has a background in biology, business administration and landscaping, and has extensive business experience working in the Zoo and Aquarium Industry. He joined Santa Ana Zoo as Program Coordinator (5years), became Operations Coordinator & Registrar (11 years), until his promotion to Zoo Director.

A Visual Treasure Trove: Sherman Library’s Historic Photograph Collections

March 11, 2021

Virtual Lecture and Q & A presented by Sherman Library Director Paul Wormser

Photographs are unique touchstones to the past. For more than 50 years Sherman Library has collected photographs that document the Pacific Southwest history. The Library’s collections include over 40,000 images from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Paul Wormser, Sherman Library Director, will talk about the Library’s photograph collections and share some of these unique images. He will also demonstrate the use of the new Sherman Library Digital Catalog, which includes many of the library’s most interesting images.