About her commitment to gardening, Alya says, “Being a gardener suits me very well. I care about people and our environment deeply, and these values find expression through my work. I have discovered that I feel most dynamic and engaged when relating to people about nature. The day-to-day realities of gardening bring together my unique blend of strengths – from physical to intellectual to interpersonal. As a gardener, I’ve been able to bring together diverse interests into one career: I am at once a scientist, an artist, a caretaker of the environment, and an athletic dancer!”
Alya Davidman discovered her passion for native plants while planting her own wildlife wonderland in central Berkeley. She was captivated and ended up pursuing every native plant tour, symposium, plant sale, and book she could find! Eventually, she began her professional gardening career in 1999, training with other fine garden professionals in their businesses before founding Berkeley Gardens. Alya volunteers as a docent and plant propagator with the Botanic Garden in Tilden Park, and attends the landscape design forum at Merritt College. She is a licensed landscape contractor and qualified Bay-Friendly maintenance professional, and is certified as a Sustainable Landscape Professional through Sonoma State University.
Alya acknowledges Danna Pierce (of The Growing Place), for a wonderful model of a small business; Glenn Keator, for sharing his impressive knowledge of native plants; the staff and volunteers of the Botanic Garden for enduring inspiration; her colleagues for their support and shared expertise; and the past and present gardeners of Berkeley Gardens for their excellent work and sustaining company on this incredible journey….
Alya is friendly, responsible, and brings a lot of dedication and enthusiasm to the job. I love having her as the caretaker of my garden!
Every time I am out in the garden working in it myself many people stop by to tell me they go out of their way to walk past my garden because it’s so amazing.
My garden is an endless source of joy for me… Alya is an artist, a gardener, a visionary, committed to native plants, educating her clients and she’s a good listener. I would recommend her over and over to people and tell them, “Alya thinks about every detail, more than you would know.”
