Devoted to the Desert Garden

Bernie and Miyako Storch were wild about The Huntington’s Desert Collections. Avid horticulturists and rare fruit growers, the Santa Barbara couple planned their frequent visits to The Huntington around Los Angeles meetings of botanical interest groups in which they were members.

Traveling in their vintage blue Volkswagen Beetle, they were dedicated Huntington volunteers and were known for bringing a packed lunch with produce from their home garden and spending hours weeding among the succulents in the nursery.

The Storches passed away in 2021, but their legacy and love for The Huntington will live on. The couple’s total bequest to The Huntington, the primary and residual beneficiary of the Storches’ estate, will ultimately total more than $30 million in support of the Botanical Gardens. In recognition of their generosity, the position that oversees the Desert Garden has been named the Bernie and Miyako Storch Curator of the Desert Garden and Collections.

“Their interest in succulents was primarily motivated by an appreciation for the plants’ forms, flowers, and ease of propagation,” says John Trager, longtime curator of the Desert Garden and the first Storch Curator. “They purchased plants at local meetings, and that helped support their hobby. To satisfy their broad gustatory tastes, they also belonged to groups that provided interesting fruits and mushrooms.”