VENTURA BOTANICAL GARDENS

For the past nine years, Associate Principal Nicole Horn has served on the Ventura Botanical Gardens (VBG) Board of Directors. The mission of the VBG, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is

“to create and maintain public gardens for the preservation, education, cultural contribution & enhancement of the entire community.”

: Nicole and her family

Over the next few decades, the VBG staff and community of volunteers will transform 100 acres of underutilized public lands into a unique, and special botanical garden. The gardens will showcase the five Mediterranean climates of the world with plant species specifically adapted to thrive in our local environment.

Nicole has led the design and implementation of several installations and sponsorship sites over the years, including a gabion seat wall gathering space, a Baja-inspired collection display wall, new trails, and a new basket-inspired structure (still in the conceptual design phase).

Conceptual sketches, plans and sections for upcoming new projects:

Next time you’re in Ventura, head up the hill behind City Hall to see the Gardens and help support conservation and education. We love plants!

CAL POLY WINTER SHADOWSHIP 2024

As part of our continued partnership with the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Landscape Architecture Department, early this year we hosted three student shadows at our office in downtown Santa Barbara. The shadowship program was developed by the Landscape Architecture Department Advisory Council (LADAC), which Courtney has been an active member of for the past ten years. This is a unique opportunity for students to visit professional offices in order to gain a better understanding of the profession as a whole and the multitude of practice types available to support their early career development.

Hosted by Designer Jianhua Chen, the afternoon started with an informal discussion and meet & greet with the team, followed by a property tour at our neighboring multi-family property Arlington Village. We then gave the students an overview of our projects, after which each team member shared what they are currently working on.

As a team, we truly value our ability to provide mentorship and professional development opportunities to students of landscape architecture. If you are interested in a shadowship, please contact us at info@cjm-la.com.