Greetings,

It is with the deepest sadness that we let you know our dear colleague and friend, Laura, passed away last month after bravely and tenaciously battling ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) for the last four years. While devastated by this untimely loss, we continue to operate the Watershed Nursery, pausing when the grief is too great, and then in her honor carrying on.

Laura was a bright light in this world. In the words of her mother Maggie, Laura has always been a firecracker and a handful! She approached life with determination and an infectious smile, wit, and humor that will be sorely missed. 

Laura was a generous mentor to so many, always willing to offer an open door and a listening ear. For many of us lucky enough to learn from her in this capacity, Laura took a chance on us that changed the trajectory of many of our lives in a positive and profound way. She was an incredibly encouraging boss and mentor that led with compassion and kindness.

Laura co-founded the Watershed Nursery with Diana in 2001 after getting the idea from a literal dream that she had one night. This nursery is such an immensely positive legacy to leave in the world, and we are so lucky that Laura dedicated herself to making her dream a reality with ingenuity and can-do attitude. It’s comforting to know that a little piece of Laura lives on in every single one of the thousands upon thousands of native plants that have gone out across the Bay Area over the last 22+ years. 

Below are some of Laura’s favorite plant species as an ode to this wonderful woman, just in case you feel inspired to plant a little piece of Laura in your garden too <3

We know times are tough for many, but if you feel called to contribute monetarily in Laura’s honor, may we suggest:

I Am ALS – a patient-led community that provides critical support and resources to those living with ALS, caregivers, and loved ones; empowers advocates to raise awareness and advocate for their community’ needs; increases federal funding for ALS research; and revolutionizes the development of treatments and cures.

California Honeysuckle

Lonicera hispidula

Available in D-16 pots for $7.30 each!

• Laura loved this species so much, she got it tattooed on her back!

• CA Honeysuckle is a climbing deciduous perennial shrub with large pink flowers that bloom throughout spring and summer and are a favorite among hummingbirds
• It is very drought tolerant and good in both sunny and shady areas of the garden
• The red berries that appear from late summer through fall are eaten by birds
• Great companion plant around oaks with snowberry, coffeeberry and toyon

Yerba Mansa

Anemopsis californica

Available in 4″ pots for $7.15 each!

• Yerba Mansa was one of Laura’s all time favorite plants.
• It grows to a height of about 1 ft. and has beautiful white compound flowers in spring and early summer.
• Being a marsh plant, it requires a warm position with shallow water or a wet muddy humus-rich soil.
• It also performs best when allowed to experience seasonal dryness.
• Will spread by red runners.
• As a medicinal herb, the spinach-like leaves may be made into a poultice to reduce swelling.
• Plant in full sun to part shade in clay, loam, or sandy soils.

Dutchman’s Pipe

Aristolochia californica

Available in D-16 pots for $6.60 each!

• Like many of us here at the nursery, Laura was partial to Dutchman’s Pipe and was enamored by the California Pipevine Swallowtails that have visited and eaten our resident Aristolochia californica plants in the TWN garden over the years.
• This robust, durable, rhizomatous vine will serve to knit your garden’s shrubs and trees together into loose thickets or attractively cover a trellis or fence with rope-like stems to 12 ft. in length.
• It’s most noteworthy feature is its odd, bulbous, 1-1/2 inch flowers that appear in winter and spring, dangling from naked stems, and resembling a fanciful Dutchman’s pipe.
• Nice as a small-scale ground cover under oaks or with coffeeberry, spicebush, and pink-flowering currant.
• In California habitat gardens, this vine provides color, a larval food source of the Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly, and flowers whose color attract fungus gnats that act as pollinators.

With great gratitude, Stay Safe, ‘Bee’ Well, and Go Natives! from all of us at the Watershed Nursery