Karla Kane/Palo Alto Weekly
Cristina Prevarin shares plans for maintaining the historic site and tips for home gardeners
Orchardist, agronomist and horticulturist Cristina Prevarin enjoys working with all kinds of plants and landscaping elements, but she has a special love for fruit trees and all they have to offer.
“They give flowers, they produce for you; it’s a partnership,” she said. “They bloom, they smell good, they go through the seasons with us.”
Now, she’s overseeing the care of the apricot trees at the Los Altos Heritage Orchard as its new orchardist, a job she’s in some ways been preparing for practically her whole life.
A lifelong connection to agriculture
Prevarin grew up in the Italian countryside, where her family had a small farm.
“I learned from my father and my grandfather,” she said. She went on to earn her degree in agricultural science and qualify as an agronomist (an expert in soil quality and crop production). After moving to the United States 20 years ago…more
Orchardist Cristina Prevarin (second from right) and team from Gachina Landscape Management stand in front of the Los Altos Heritage Orchard. Courtesy Los Altos History Museum.
