Wildness and Design in the Urban Garden

October 23, 2019
7:30 pm

Speaker: Todd Gilens
Location: Garden Room, Orinda Public Library

Native plants point to an original integration of species and place, but we often think of wildness and domesticity in opposing terms. This presentation will explore the contrast, and how sensitive design can make us more at home in our homes as well as better partners in a regional ecology. Connections between philosophical and practical perspectives will be illustrated using examples from Bay Area gardens, California landscapes, and around the world.

A freelance garden designer and visual artist, Todd Gilens’ work has been seen on public transit vehicles, in botanical gardens, arts and conference centers, abandoned factories and wilderness areas, as well the front and back yards of East Bay residents. He has designed private gardens for the last seven years, taught ecology classes in the landscape architecture program at the Academy of Art University, and occasionally leads a landscape photography workshop for the Point Reyes Field Institute. Todd earned a master’s degree in landscape architecture from Harvard University and his website, which includes both artworks and garden design, is toddgilens.com.

East Bay CNPS members meetings are free of charge and open to everyone. This month’s meeting takes place in the Garden Room of the Orinda Public Library at 26 Orinda Way, Orinda 94563, a few blocks from the Orinda BART station. The Garden Room is on the second floor of the building, accessible by stairs or an elevator. Email programs@ebcnps.org if you have questions.