Granddaughter of the late horticulturist TV personality Norvell Gillespie, Sequoiah Wachenheim found a passion for gardening at an early age. She was given responsibility for her own garden plot at age 7, where she fell enamored with the joys of growing and harvesting her own tomatoes, corn, and edible flowers. Many years later, after receiving her BA in Creative Arts and her specialist certificate from Merritt College in Landscape Design and Construction; she founded Earthly Arts in 1998. Being a life long environmentalist and artist, she looked for a profession that combined ecological principles with a strong sense of design. Sequoiah enjoys sharing her knowledge and excitement for plants and imparts many clients with the confidence to experience the wonder of tending a garden. She creates spaces that are not only beautiful and captivating, but also provide food, wildlife habitat, or flowers for the hearth.

Click here to see Sequoiah’s Art Portfolio

Jay Tidwell joined Earthly Arts in 2001 after discovering his passion for plants working at Berkeley Horticultural Nursery. Also a former student at the Merritt College Horticultural Department, much of Jay’s expertise and passion lies in the realm of urban edible landscaping. He derives great joy in educating both children and adults about common and unusual edibles that can thrive in our climate and aims to shorten the distance our food travels to our tables.

As a native Californian, Jay recognizes the need for low water ornamental gardens. Jay’s artistic endeavors involve building rustic and attractive compost bins, tree houses, play houses, and fences out of wood diverted from landfills. He is also in the beginning stages of founding a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in Oakland.

Together, Sequoiah and Jay make a great team. While Sequoiah does most of the consulting and design work, they combine creative forces on both new gardens and garden maintenance. All of their work strives toward sound ecological practices. This includes choosing appropriate plantings for the soil, climate, and solar exposure of each site, and then building color and textural palattes that work well in a given setting. Earthly Arts gardens vary greatly in style according to the needs and taste of the client, as well as the pre-existing conditions.