If you’ve been to the nursery and seen the beautiful plant displays by the front office, you’re already familiar with the work of Vanessa Rogier, nursery employee, conservationist, landscape designer, podcast creator. This month we had a chance to sit down with Vanessa to discuss some of her many interests and talents: her role at the nursery, her years doing conservation work in the Congo (read: gorillas), her new podcast, and what you should and shouldn't plant during a drought.
CWN: What have you been up to lately, Vanessa?
V: I recently did my third podcast. It was about how bees make honey. It was amazing, I was totally fascinated. The podcast is called ‘2 Chicks and a Ho’ and we are getting ready to launch it.
CWN: Please let us know when it launches. So let’s talk some about you and the nursery. What brought you to work here?
V: I had a career in animal conservation and love conservation, period. I started a landscape design business and I really like it – I have clients here and there – but during the COVID pandemic I recognized that I really had isolated myself, not only because of COVID [protocols], but even after the lockdown I was still working doing yards, but I was by myself all the time. 24 hours a day I was with my dog, Roxy – I needed to chat with people, to be with people, so I thought coming to the nursery would be good idea. It truly has been - not only in terms of getting to be with people again, but also, I have learned a tremendous amount about plants – for me it’s one of those things like [learning about] the bees where you think you know a lot, then you talk to the experts and you’re like whoa! There’s so much to know!
CWN: What are your favorite things to do here at the nursery?
V: I’m responsible for many things - from stocking, to watering the plants, to trimming them and making them look beautiful – but truthfully, my favorite part is talking to the customers. I love it when they’re looking for something specific and I can draw them towards pollinators – I truly believe we need to build corridors for our pollinators, for their survival, and of course for our survival – we are linked. Without the pollinators we cannot survive.
CWN: What are your interests outside the nursery?
V: Developing this podcast has a lot to do with my other loves, conservation and environmental awareness – it’s about providing solutions and getting involved. How can someone get involved with the bee issues? They may not be a scientist but if you have an idea of what’s going on – “once you know, you do better.” Maybe you will pick a more pollinator friendly plant that provides food for bees and pollinators. That’s a huge passion of mine. And animal conservation of course – I worked for years in mountain gorilla conservation in the [Democratic Republic of the] Congo. I was there on and off over the years. That was my job at Happy Hollow Zoo – animal conservation. My role was getting our community – the Northern California zoo community – involved somehow in conservation, understanding what’s going on [with the gorillas and the environment]. No other zoo in the world has mountain gorillas! They are an umbrella species – by protecting them, you’re protecting an entire environment and ecosystem. If you take care of them, everything underneath them [in the ecosystem] thrives. That has always been the driving force in my life – animals, insects, plants, the natural world. And I love gardening! I create my own sanctuary, so when I go home from the craziness, I sit and I have amazing – well I’ve been feeding the birds for 25 years, and the stuff I planted for all the bees and the butterflies – and squirrels and possums and racoons.
CWN: What is the most interesting thing you’ve learned working here?
V: When a plant is labeled drought tolerant, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t require water. It requires less water, but [at the nursery I learned about] the idea that it needs an entire season of TLC, and then it becomes more established and drought tolerant. In particular in our severe drought that we are having here, I don’t think people should stop planting – it’s important as communities that we have plants around us. It brings calm and peace – there is a balance there [that we get from nature] – but plant the RIGHT plants. Make sure we have plants for our native pollinators – we need to take care of them. Put water out for birds and beneficial mammals that come visit – skunks, possums, squirrels – they all have roles they are playing in our garden. We are all in this together. Continue planting – just pick the right plants for whatever purpose it is that you have. Just because we are in a drought, it is still important to keep planting.
Not to mention the joy, the aesthetics of gardening – we need things that make us happy. During the pandemic as well, the turn to gardening was huge, and there’s a reason for that. There was a study done that said that being in the dirt and touching it and breathing it in – you breathe in all these microbes that actually calm you down and bring you joy. There’s a happiness involvement with getting your hands in the dirt. That thing about going out in the garden – it's crucial. There’s a connection back to the earth. Touching it – being a part of nature is critical for our happiness, for so many of us. I think that’s why the popularity of gardening jumped so much in the pandemic – first people thought, I have some time, let’s spend it fixing up my yard – then once they get started, they realize the joy it brought.
CWN: Thank you so much, Vanessa, for taking the time to speak with us today. I’m sure our readers will be absolutely thrilled.
V: Thank you Jane!