Obit Her Love Was Tending To Flower And Gardening And Had A Green Thumb

If you like to garden but don't have a green thumb, you're not alone. Many people don't have a clue about when to water plants or what fertilizer to use.

But Village resident Annie Zipkin, 68, has much more than a green thumb, and she's been lending it to those who need help getting their gardens in top shape.

During the lockdown, "people needed to connect with the earth, take care of living plants who need them," says Village resident and retired horticulturist Annie Zipkin, here in her garden.(Photo by Nancy Ireland)

Zipkin, a five-year Village resident, is a retired horticulturist with more than 40 years of experience who had her own business in New Orleans, so she knows about gardening. Other residents have been catching on to her skills through word of mouth, so she's been offering gardening tips, advice and design techniques.

Linda Weiner is one of those residents. Her house has about 50 feet of space running along the side. It was once weed-filled, arid and devoid of any landscaping, and it was embarrassing and sad, she said.

Then Zipkin worked her magic.

"Annie came over, did a professional assessment, and assured me that this was not a hopeless situation," Weiner said. "Fast forward a few months, and now this space is filled with color, texture and lots of low-maintenance succulents that came as cuttings from Annie's own garden."

Weiner said hummingbirds are now frequent visitors, and people who walk by are treated to the beauty of Zipkin's work.

"Annie's knowledge is reflected in her deep commitment to nature and teaching all of us to treat our plants and flowers with respect by making good choices," Weiner said. "I have learned so much from Annie about gardening, and I cannot thank her enough for her hard work and patience. Every morning when I open my kitchen blinds, I am greeted by two window boxes filled with plants and flowers, another gift from the hands of Annie Zipkin."

Resident Terry Fiset also loves her garden after Zipkin's magic touch.

"Annie is a master gardener and knows the ins and outs of gardening," Fiset said. "She can assess soil and sun conditions, which are key to healthy growth in your garden. She can identify and recommend native plants. I am paralyzed with ALS, and Annie rescued my garden for me."

Zipkin said she's still amazed at how gardening and landscaping became a big part of her life — despite growing up in Brooklyn, New York. Her passion started when she house-sat for a friend in the city who had a large bay window filled with plants.

"I just fell in love taking care of them, watering, cleaning, propagating. When he got back, he told me about a friend of his who went to school and studied horticulture."

With that, Zipkin found her calling and enrolled in the horticulture program at Farmingdale State College on Long Island.

After school, she moved to New Orleans, where she spent the 37 years buying plants, designing gardens and doing landscaping. For the last 25 of those years, she was a contractor at the Monteleone and Bienville House hotels in the French quarter.

"I had a huge responsibility for hundreds of window box planters on balconies, patios, interior plants, rooftop decks, and the change-out of the flowering plants," she said. "We had a schedule of orchids, 6-inch flowering plants, and seasonal and holiday color changes. It was a wonderful place to work."

When she retired, she relocated to Laguna Woods, a move that turned out to be a good one.

"One of the main reasons that attracted me most to Laguna Woods was the ceramics studio," she said. "I have worked with clay on and off for most of my life. So now I combined a lot of my ceramics with plants."

She's also made a lot of friends here.

"Some of them started needing help with their gardens. I collaborated with them, and little by little, more friends started wanting me to help them. I am gladly doing that and honestly enjoying so much again picking up the shovel, shopping, and planting."

Besides helping others, Zipkin has worked tirelessly in her own garden, starting with planting a few trees.

"I have a small lemon, avocado, and I had to have angel's trumpet. I started planting some bromeliads, and roses because they grow so well here in Southern California. I added a beautiful pink ice plant ground cover and some seasonal plants like sweet peas. It's a little wild-looking and very colorful, and I really love it," she said.

Zipkin spends every day doing something in her garden, whether it's watering, taking cuttings and trimming, and sharing them with neighbors, or filling in empty spots in the neighborhood. "I like to go out early in the morning with my watering can and check on how are the plants doing."

As for her favorite plants and trees, she said she has so many, it's hard to say.

"Most of my 40-year career was spent in New Orleans, which was a subtropical environment and zone. Coming here to Southern California is a whole different pallet and amazing plant selection.

"Since this is a desert, if it's not irrigated, we really do have some of the most beautiful succulents that add color, texture and don't need a lot of water. Of course, the flowering trees here starting in the spring, the flowering cherries, redbuds, bauhinias, and now the jacaranda trees," she said. "There is nothing to me more beautiful than a giant purple flowering tree."

Zipkin speculates on the fascination gardeners have with their craft: "I think people really like gardening because it changes every day. You could watch your plants grow and control them a little bit if you need to.

"I think it's a great metaphor for life when you plant a seed, nurture it and watch it grow. It's also great for seniors and exercise," she said. "The bending over, using my shovel, and pulling weeds — I use my whole body and become conscious of everything, and it too keeps me in shape."

But if you don't have a green thumb, you might want to try a few easy houseplants, she said.

"The great thing about those types of easy, low-light plants is they will actually physically tell you when they need water. Most of them will wilt, and when you water them, they perk back up," Zipkin said.

"It's easy and rewarding to see that and encouraging that this plant needs you to pay attention to it. People always used to kid around with me and asked me if I talked to my plants. I told them that I actually listen because the plants will usually tell you when they need attention."

Zipkin mentioned a friend in the Village who said she never had a plant that she could take care of.

"She wanted to try to plant some flowers, and I helped her in the beginning. We started a little garden in front of her house, and she now absolutely loves it and has become an enthusiast. So just starting small and seeing results makes you want to do more. It's addicting," she said.

Gardening became popular during the lockdown, she said, and for good reason: "People needed to connect with the earth, take care of living plants who need them. It feels great, and if you grow vegetables or fruiting trees, you'll even be rewarded from your fruits of labor."

Another happy resident whose garden Zipkin transformed is Nancy Ireland.

"Two years ago, I was fed up with the plantings in front of my manor," Ireland said. "Landscaping had planted some succulents that initially were very pretty. Since I had been told when I moved in here that they would maintain the gardens, I was delighted I wouldn't have to do it myself and didn't."

By the second year, the plants had gotten leggy and ugly, Ireland said. She dug out the wild succulents and bought some rosebushes. Zipkin helped her decide where each one should go, and they took clippings from Zipkin's garden and planted some new succulents. Zipkin continued to provide guidance on pruning and replanting as Ireland bought new plants to bring in color throughout the year.

"In addition to my garden, Annie has also taken clippings and filled in the other areas of our courtyard where other plants didn't survive. She's constantly weeding and pruning the area. People now walk by our homes and the courtyard just to enjoy the view. Our area is much nicer than most, thanks to Annie's efforts."

Zipkin can be reached at anniezipkin@ymail.com.