Nursery manager Taylor Lewis, who died Aug. 8, made a lasting impact on landscapes and people
Nursery manager Taylor Lewis found joy in the discovery of new plant varieties that grew beautifully in our climate. Courtesy UC Davis Arboretum
The Sacramento region lost one of its true garden heroes last week when Taylor Lewis died of cancer. He was 48.
His impact won’t be forgotten; it’s growing all around us.
With a beaming smile and contagious energy, Lewis enthusiastically pitched plants to anyone who visited the UC Davis Arboretum Teaching Nursery. As nursery manager, he was responsible for growing thousands of plants for the arboretum’s popular sales as well as producing plants for the university’s public gardens. He found joy in the discovery of new varieties that grew beautifully in our climate, and even more happiness when patrons took those plants home.
In recent years as people searched for water-wise plants that can withstand our droughts, Lewis probably was responsible for more new introductions to local gardens than anyone. He got those Arboretum All-Stars (and a lot more) into people’s yards.
But it wasn’t just about plants; Lewis made very real and human connections with his customers as well as the legions of staff, students and volunteers who worked with him and other members of the garden community.
Before joining the Arboretum, he made many friends and followers as a staff member at Carmichael’s Windmill Nursery.
“Taylor Lewis was a kind man who touched the lives in a very great way of all who were fortunate to meet him,” wrote Greg Gayton, garden guru at Green Acres Nursery & Supply. “Taylor and I would always laugh when we saw each other. We’d always giggle about plants and crazy customers.”
Lewis had been a constant upbeat presence at the UC Davis Arboretum for almost a decade. He maintained his sunny disposition through myriad challenges. In 2017, he lost his lower right leg to cancer. Last summer after six years of remission, he saw a return of angiosarcoma – an extremely rare form of cancer of the blood vessels – on his lower back.
“It’s pretty rare for someone to get it once,” he said in November. “It’s radically rare to have it twice. … It was a shock.”
A GoFundMe campaign for the Arboretum’s “beloved green warrior” raised nearly $59,000 to help pay for treatment costs not covered by insurance.
“Taylor's unwavering commitment to friends and family, coupled with his boundless positive energy and dedication to the Arboretum and the environment, has deeply impacted our community,” wrote longtime UC Davis Arboretum volunteer Kili Bong on Lewis’ GoFundMe page during the fund drive. “His ever-present good nature, invaluable guidance to both budding and seasoned gardeners, and his innate ability to help them design and cultivate the gardens of their dreams, have touched countless lives over the years.”
Said Lewis at the time, “There are a lot of people out there who love me. I’m really grateful for this support. … I feel very fortunate. I’m lucky to have this support and these people in my life.”
His mother, Sherrie Lewis, posted his obituary on Facebook:
“My son, Taylor Clark Lewis, was born on March 30, 1976 & passed away on August 8, 2024. Taylor battled angiosarcoma, a rare cancer of the blood vessels. He was the manager of the arboretum nursery at UC Davis. He is survived by his mother, 3 brothers, Spencer, Judd & Jordan, his sister, Megan Lundin, his devoted wife, Ilana Halperin, his sons, Jacob & Jarrett, & daughter Emilee & 2 precious grandchildren, Spencer & Bennett. Family & friends attended a Going Away Garden Party on June 22, 2024, to celebrate his life. He influenced many for good!
UC Davis plans to fly the University of California flag at half-staff on campus next week, Aug. 20-22, to honor the memory of Taylor Lewis.
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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3
November still offers good weather for fall planting:
* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.
* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.
* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.
* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.
* Plant garlic and onions.
* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.
* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.
* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.
* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.
* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.
* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.
* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.
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