Skye Dean Editorial Intern/Los Altos Town Crier
Los Altos’ historic orchard has a new caretaker.
Cristina Prevarin took over as orchardist for the 2.8-acre apricot orchard early this year. Also a horticulturalist and agronomist, Prevarin oversees all 427 semi-dwarf apricot trees in the orchard located next to the Los Altos Library.
“It’s a living entity, so we need to learn about it,” Prevarin said. “And we’re just a few months into this, so I want to see, as the four seasons go by, how it flows, and based on that, we can make adjustments.”
Prevarin grew up working on her family’s ranch in Venice, Italy, before graduating from university as an agronomist in agricultural science. She has spent the last 20 years working for Gachina Landscape Management, the new care team responsible for preserving the orchard.
Although the orchard is on city property, the Los Altos History Museum has been in charge of maintaining it since July 2023.
Anna Toledano, the museum’s executive director, noted that she pooled resources from the former care team – orchardist Terence Welch, Orchard Commons Committee chair Jane Packard and gardener Faustino Carrillo – to facilitate the transition in management. Toledano said …more
Cristina Prevarin and team from Gachina Landscape Mgmt. Courtesy Los Altos History Museum.
