CELEBRITY LIFESTYLE
12 Stars Cultivate Green Thumbs During the Pandemic
Like many people, celebrities including Aaron Paul, Gwen Stefani, and Elizabeth Olsen have turned to soothing at-home hobbies during these troubled times.
By Kristine Hansen April 29, 2020
If there’s one good thing that came out of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s an explosion of new green thumbs—celebs included. Quarantine offered a golden opportunity to spruce up one’s property and green space. From planting lettuce using a hydroponic system like Jennie Garth to gifting home-grown potted flowers to essential workers like Beth Behrs, some celebrities proved during lockdown they can do more than act, model, or sing.For some, it’s about growing vegetables to tinker with in the kitchen, while others went all out to create a beautiful outdoor living space with lush foliage and flowers. Below, AD rounds up the Hollywood stars sharing their gardening skills, a tiny window into their home lives.
Aaron Paul
Hanging terrariums adorn the outdoor space of Westworld actor Aaron Paul. Photo: Carley RuddThe Breaking Bad star recently tapped Heather Trilling of Trilling Landscape to amp up the aesthetics and function in the green space at his 1920s Spanish-style West Hollywood pad. “We wanted Aaron and [wife] Laura to feel that they had their own private sanctuary,” says Trilling. Moorish, Mediterranean, and Spanish Colonial influences translated to succulents and olive trees, plus mini terrariums in glass-orb pendants. “Their home, just above Sunset Boulevard, has such a magnificent view, and I enjoyed helping to transform a previously unused area of their backyard into a cozy sanctuary to sit, relax, entertain, and soak in the city,” says Trilling. Custom wood-seat benches, a terrace lookout accessible by ladder, and a hand-poured fire feature were the perfect trifecta.
Elizabeth Olsen
Olsen and her fiancé, Milo Green musician Robbie Arnett, recently revamped their backyard.
Trilling also plucked the globe to adorn the outdoors at Olsen and fiancé Robbie Arnett’s recently remodeled Sherman Oaks home, including hand-painted pool tiles from Morocco and pergola roofing (above a dining area) crafted from willows grown in Ohio. “They love entertaining, relaxing by the pool, and taking walks on the hiking trail just above their property,” says Trilling. “The backyard had tremendous potential, but the pool needed remodeling, and the hillside had fallen trees and was overgrown with weeds and poison ivy.” A sustainable Southern California theme—low-water perennial plantings, owl boxes for pest management, and no-mow California red fescue—gives Olsen time to grow and pick vegetables and fruit, or relax in the custom sauna, born out of reclaimed wood.