Betsy Birchfield Clebsch

After living with Alzheimer’s for a number of years, Betsy passed quietly and peacefully in her sleep in a wonderful memory care facility, Brightview Perry Hall, near her daughter in the Baltimore, Maryland area.

Avid gardener and plants person, Betsy spent time developing gardens wherever she lived. For almost 40 years, she poured her energy into her garden at her home, Big Swing, in the Santa Cruz Mountains near the Bay Area, California. Betsy was a serious student of plants. She was particularly intrigued by the salvia genus, which led to her book A Book of Salvias: Sages for Every Garden, followed by the expanded version The New Book of Salvias: Sages for Every Garden. Nothing delighted Betsy more than to have visitors, whether they were well versed in plants or just ready for a good conversation.

Betsy is survived by her son Bill Clebsch and his wife Carolyn Clebsch, and by her daughter Sarah Veblen; by grandchildren Sylvan, Luke, Amy, Annie, Krista, and Bonnie; and by great grandchildren Betsy, JuJu, Kea, Izzy, Naima, Belle, Caitlin, Rhys, Billy, and Lexi.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to one of Betsy’s favorite charitable organizations: Planned Parenthood: https://www.weareplannedparenthoodaction.org Doctors without Borders: https://give.doctorswithoutborders.org Western Horticultural Society: https://www.westernhort.org/ San Franscisco Botanical Garden: https://gggp.org/donate/