IrisBG
Spotlight
Autumn Ayers
Garden Records & Collections Manager, Descanso Gardens
With a natural aptitude for languages, a passion for horticulture, and a kind, witty demeanor, Autumn Ayers is someone you hope to sit next to at a dinner party. She is an IrisBG star user, graciously sharing her knowledge with others. As the Garden Records & Collections Manager at Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles, Autumn takes pride as a plant detective and preserving Descanso's historic Camellia Collection. In the following article, we learn where her love for plants first took root.
When did you know you wanted a career in Horticulture?
Like many of my horticulture colleagues, I didn't originally start out pursuing a career in horticulture and wandered into it after starting on a different path. Originally, in high school and college, I was studying to be an interpreter in French and Japanese.
I was also studying cross-cultural communication strategies. Halfway through my degree, I lost my grandmother to cancer and took some time off to be home with my family. My grandma was a rose-lover and avid gardener, and I hated to see her plants decline after she passed. I read all of her books on gardening and roses.
Autumn in her natural habitat
Eventually, I committed to going back for a BS in Ornamental Horticulture and haven't looked back since. I had always been surrounded by plants and horticulture from a young age, but it wasn't until my grandma's passing that I considered that this could be a career path.
Romneya coulteri, the Coulter's Matilija poppy, at Descanso Gardens
Who do you look to for inspiration in the horticulture world?
I will always be in awe of my plant records mentor, Kristina Aguilar (opens in a new tab) at Longwood Gardens (opens in a new tab), and her ability to oversee such a large collection essentially by herself. I’m also so grateful for, and inspired by, the work that folks like Abra Lee (opens in a new tab) and Mae Lin Plummer (opens in a new tab) are doing to share diverse stories in horticulture and make sure that gardens are accessible to all.
What IrisBG report do you find most useful?
My most used report type is Accession Items 02: Item Data Item. Most of my custom reports have this one as a base.
IrisBG: Reports > 02 Accession items Item02
What have you found the most handy IrisBG function to use?
The Advanced Search function, combined with the ability to toggle between searching all accessions and all items is so useful. By using that, and the IrisBG Map module, I can find the answers to most questions very quickly.
Do you have a book or podcast that you would like to recommend?
I recently was given a book called "The Gardener's Botanical" which is as beautiful as it is useful! I also just re-started reading a book called "On Looking: A Walker's Guide to the Art of Observation", which is a great read about all of the things we can observe and perceive when we know to look for them.
The Japanese Garden at Descanso
Grandma Nancy 🌹
What is one thing that most people wouldn’t guess about you?
I have a teacup collection! I inherited it from my Grandma Nancy (the one with the roses). I try to add to it when I travel abroad, which is how she collected most of them, too.
For a closer look at a day in the life of Autumn Ayers, read the article, What’s in a Name? The plants are trying to tell you something (opens in a new tab).
If a short history lesson on Descanso’s Camellia collection interests you, check out the recorded Coffee Chat from October 2022: Inspect & Monitor Historic Collections. Autumn’s presentation is an excellent example of utilizing IrisBG’s Custom attributes and Inspections.