Amy Vukovich has decorated the sets of some the most popular television show of the last two decades, including The Shield, Bones, Snowfall and The Gilmore Girls. She holds a master’s degree in production design from the American Film Institute and has taught art direction at the University of Texas. As a Board member of the Ebell of Los Angeles, Vukovich became interested in the life and career of Florence Yoch, who was hired by architect Sumner Hunt to design the Ebell gardens in 1922.

Florence Yoch was born on July 15, 1890, in Santa Ana, California. She was the youngest of six girls and spent a lot of time outdoors, which inspired her to eventually pursue a career in landscape design. In 1910, she attended the University of California, Berkeley, and then Cornell but eventually earned her degree from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After graduation, Florence started designing gardens all throughout Southern California. She frequently visited Europe to study great gardens of the past and use them for inspiration. In 1921, she hired Lucile Council as her apprentice. A few years later, the two women formed a business partnership — Yoch & Council — but also fell in love and started a relationship. From 1915-1950s. Florence designed landscapes for wealthy clientele’s private residences, parks, public spaces and film sets. In 1972, Florence passed away, but her nephew continues her legacy of landscape designing and even wrote a book about her, titled “Landscaping the American Dream”.