Welcome, Keith Nevison

By: Katherine Sanders, Digital Marketing Coordinator

This past May, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden proudly welcomed its new director of horticulture and operations, Keith Nevison, to its leadership team. In his role, Keith leads the Garden’s Horticulture Team, including oversight of the Living Collection and Nursery, the Garden grounds and facilities, the retail Garden Shop, and the Garden Nursery where anyone can buy native plants.

Keith joined the Garden from his most recent position at Bundoran Farm in Virginia. While there, he was a steward of 2,300 acres (930 hectares) of land comprised of pastures, forest, and natural areas including 15 miles (24 kilometers) of hiking trails. He was also the cohost of Virginia Public Media’s “Virginia Home Grown,” a program highlighting the work of gardens and environmental organizations and, ultimately, the delights and challenges of gardening in Virginia.

Born in Vancouver, Canada, but raised in California, Keith brings nearly 20 years of horticulture and public garden experience to the Garden. He currently holds certifications as a master naturalist, FFT2 certified wildland firefighter, and an International Society of Arboriculture arborist. With a passion for native plants and habitats from the start, he worked within the area of Portland, Oregon, with Portland State University’s Institute for Sustainable Solutions, the Society for Ecological Restoration, and Friends of Trees, where he worked with volunteers to install nearly 40,000 native plants through their Green Space Program. This led him to an opportunity at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania where he completed his master’s fellowship in the prestigious Longwood Graduate Program at the University of Delaware.

I sat down with Keith to ask him some of our most pressing questions. From his time working with Doug Tallamy to why he decided to make the move to Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, his responses proved we’re lucky to have him join the team.

So, Ironwood readers, meet Keith Nevison.

Q: What are you most looking forward to in making Santa Barbara your home?

A: We are thrilled to integrate into what feels like a passionate community and get to know its residents. My family and I love the outdoors so coming from Virginia we’re planning to spend as much time as we can enjoying the year-round natural setting. I can’t wait for frequent trips to the beaches, hikes in the mountains, and raising our son in the Garden.

Q: Do you have a favorite California-native plant yet?

A: This is a downright impossible question to answer, but I’ll try. I’m going to have to go with Coast live oaks (Quercus agrifolia) because they provide such vitally important habitat for insects, songbirds, and other wildlife. Plus, their gnarled forms are iconic and beautiful.

Q: How did you get started in horticulture and public gardens?

A: I guess you could make an argument that it started with the first plants that I ever grew, California poppies (Eschscholzia californica). I grew them from a seed packet purchased from the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve.

Then, while at the University of California, Santa Cruz, I started working on farms after learning about the farmworker rights movements. I first wanted to learn how to grow my own food, and I was drawn to the perennial plantings on farms. I vividly remember realizing that I ultimately wanted to be involved with a public garden. I knew this would give me a chance to keep learning about plants, seek respite, be inspired by their beauty, and encounter ecological connections. It’s a dream come true to realize my vision at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, working to educate the public to conserve California’s native plants and habitats for the health and well-being of people and the planet.

Q: Any special hobbies or favorite past times?

A: It’s probably cliché but home gardening is my main hobby. My family and I always grow a large produce garden and cultivate many native plants. Other than that, we spend our time hiking and exploring new areas. One thing some find interesting is that we don’t own a TV, so most of our family time is spent outdoors. I also love to cook and enjoy preparing meals using as many ingredients as we can grow/forage ourselves. And, I LOVE music and have very eclectic tastes. In fact, I used to be a radio disc jockey in college on KZSC Santa Cruz.

Q: I heard you worked with one of our favorite authors and native plant advocates, Doug Tallamy, Ph.D. What was that like?

A: I got to know Doug, aka Dr. Tallamy, shortly after beginning my graduate studies in public horticulture at the University of Delaware. He’s beyond thrilled that I’ve landed at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, where I can “be a leading voice for native plants on the West Coast.” Doug is a brilliant person, renowned not only for his groundbreaking entomological work on pollinators and native plants but his deep knowledge of ecological movements of the last century. He is by far the best professor that I’ve had the privilege of learning under. Doug served on my thesis committee, helping to guide my research evaluating differences in pollinator attraction to cultivars and straight species for the genus Phlox at the venerable Mt. Cuba Center, a Piedmont native plant garden in northern Delaware. Doug is one of my favorite people in this world. I hope everyone gets to experience his message about the importance of growing native plants.

Q: Anything else you want to make sure our Ironwood readers know about you?

A: Yes, I want to make sure our readers know I’m very excited to serve as director of horticulture and operations at the Garden. What I love most about California and why I’m so excited for this opportunity is the unique responsibility presented to protect flora and educate the public about the exceptional biodiversity and high rate of endemism in the state. California contains so many splendors in its borders, from the redwood (Sequoioideae) ranges to its towering mountains. In so many ways, Santa Barbara serves as the nexus of plants and animals from the north and south, which provides a perfect venue to showcase the beauty and uniqueness of our entire state’s biodiversity. I hope everyone comes to the Garden to learn, love, and appreciate everything it has to offer — but this is just a starting point. I hope they leave here inspired to continue to explore the natural majesty of this amazing state and share the love of native plants with their friends and family, in their own gardens and communities.

Please join us in welcoming Keith and his family to the Garden and the Santa Barbara community. When he isn’t at his desk, you’re going to find him out in the Garden supporting his team and talking with our guests. So when you see him out and about, don’t hesitate to say hello! O