Western Hills Garden turns over a new leaf

Amid such all-too-frequent losses, the rebirth of Western Hills Garden is cause for rejoicing.

The two fanatical plantsmen opened a retail nursery outside Occidental and filled the grounds with Australian, South African, Mediterranean, East Asian and native flora.

Former partner Roger Warren recalled Hawkins "railing about the faults of capitalism and the size of American bath towels."

"Western Hills was an extended event, a happening, a salon, a projection of Marshall and Lester's lives, philosophy and worldview," Warren summed up.

After their deaths (Hawkins in 1985, Olbrich in 1991), Wych took charge, then sold the nursery to Robert Stansel and Joseph Gatta in 2007.

[...] her successors were unable to sustain the business, nearly losing their own home in their efforts to keep Western Hills intact.

Friends of Western Hills dodged the real estate agents, hand-watered the plants and braced themselves for the worst.

[...] Tim and Chris Szybalski of Moraga bought the parcel and took on the herculean task of reconstructing Hawkins and Olbrich's legacy.

Garden clubs and the American Conifer Society have scheduled visits.

Reconstructing Western Hills required the muscle of volunteers and the expertise of horticultural professionals.

The Garden Conservancy, which includes Western Hills in its Preservation Assistance Program, helped inventory the plants, and Wych identified more.

Betsy Flack, recently retired as the conservancy's West Coast program coordinator, has been a key player, as have former intern Sean Hogan and compost maven Dick Miner.

Tim Szybalski said visitors, including those who knew Western Hills in its prime, are ecstatic that the garden is being restored.

Asian dogwood (Cornus capitata): This summer-blooming species comes from the lower slopes of the Himalayas.