The Garden Cruzers

Santa Cruz County Garden Club

CJ Brehm-Stern, Horticulture Educator

The Garden Cruisers consider themselves fortunate and are deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn from CJ. Her generosity, depth of knowledge, and lifelong love of gardening are an inspiration.

CJ has been gardening for as long as she can remember. She began as a child working alongside her parents in the vegetable garden of their Altadena, California home, and by age ten was already cultivating her own “secret garden.” That early curiosity grew into a lifelong passion and a career rooted in hands-on learning.

In her early twenties, CJ launched an indoor plant maintenance business, caring for plants in doctor’s offices and banks. Later, after moving to Austin, Texas with her husband Jay and son Marcus, she discovered firsthand how dramatically climate, soil, and weather shape gardening practices. Learning what freezing temperatures really mean, adapting to highly alkaline soils, and understanding why certain plants thrive while others fail reinforced an essential truth of horticulture: there is always more to learn. Every region, season, and garden presents new lessons, making horticulture a rich, evolving field that rewards curiosity and adaptability.

CJ holds multiple Nursery Professional certifications and is a Master Gardener. In her forties, she owned and operated her own landscaping business, deepening her understanding of plant selection, design, and long-term garden health. During this time, she became especially passionate about native plants—learning how they support local ecosystems, conserve water, attract pollinators, and create resilient gardens that work in harmony with their environment.

At age 60, CJ returned to California, spending 12 years in Los Angeles working in nurseries and founding a garden club, where she further refined her knowledge of vegetable gardening in Southern California’s unique climate. For the past five years, she has worked at Digg Gardens in Aptos and founded the Garden Cruzers to share her love of gardening, practical experience, and deep respect for plants with others.

CJ believes gardening is both joyful and endlessly educational—and she invites you to come learn, grow, and Cruz with her. 🌱

Join the Garden Cruzers of Santa Cruz County

Come! Attend the weekly classes, hear garden stories, and learn expert tips to help your garden thrive and connect with fellow gardening enthusiasts.

It’s free to join and you can attend classes and events on a drop-in basis. CJ shares her knowledge, wisdom, and experience generously to anyone who asks. She offers Garden Cruzers the opportunity to attend weekly classes on a variety of topics throughout the year.

Contributions, in exchange for CJs teaching, are optional and can be made on a purely voluntary basis by cash or a check, either of which you can discretely pop into the cashbox at each class you attend or pay using Venmo. CJ’s Venmo QR Code is on display next to the cashbox or send an email to cruzers.garden.club@gmail.com and request CJ’s Venmo payment ID.

Check the schedule and come when the topic or activity interests you. Connect with local garden enthusiasts through weekly classes, potlucks, nursery trips, and other field trips. Come! Help foster community and shared gardening wisdom.

See Calendar of Events

Weekly Classes and Events

Check out the upcoming weekly classes, occasional potlucks, and interesting field trips designed to inform, inspire, and bring together garden lovers to learn and share valuable gardening tips. For details on each class click on the Events button above.

Weekly Gardening Class with CJ

Join us for informative and inspiring classes led by CJ with lots of input from our knowledgable members to boost your green thumb skills. Bring items for the sharing table.

Community Garden Potlucks

Bring your favorite dish and share stories and tips with fellow garden enthusiasts.

Field Trips to Local Nurseries

Explore native plants and get expert tips on selecting the best for your garden.

Seasonal Plant Care Workshops

Learn how to prepare your garden for the upcoming season Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter – with hands-on advice from CJ.

The Garden Cruzers Blog

Would you like to submit a blog article? Just let CJ know.

See All Posts

Cruzers in the News

Watch this space for pics and articles: The 2024 4th of July Parade, our 2024 displays at the Santa Cruz County Fair, and volunteering at the fair in 2025.

Garden Cruzers Gallery of Gorgeous Gardens, Plants, and Flowers

If you’d like to send along some images of your garden or pictures of your favorite plants and flowers, contact us at the email address below and we’ll be happy to include them.

Weekly Gardening Workshops

Join us to connect, learn, and grow with fellow garden lovers. Drop in and say hi. Fill in the form if you’d like to be added to the mailing list. Emails are sent out only occasionally, no spam, no email overload! If you’d like to suggest a topic, an event, a field trip, or a guest speaker at a class, please let us know.