Since launching her landscape design career in 1982 in Los Angeles, Alida Aldrich has stayed true to three pillars of her craft: respect for a site’s existing landscape, careful consideration of surrounding architecture, and above all, loyalty to client vision. Throughout Santa Barbara and Montecito — where she relocated her headquarters in 1996 — The Aldrich Company’s time-tested approach is well suited to the region’s picturesque parcels, architectural review, and homeowners’ sophisticated and discerning taste. And it shows. Aldrich has won design awards from the Montecito Association, Santa Barbara Beautiful, and — for four years running — international Best of Houzz accolades. Her services include complete conceptual design, full working drawings, installation oversight, and maintenance supervision. For more, visit aldrich-landscapes.com .
We caught up with Aldrich to hear about bit more about Central Park influences, the boon of being her own boss, and a certain Supreme Court justice.
What drew you to landscape design early on? Decades ago, having developed a passion for working in my own garden, I enrolled in the landscape architectural program at UCLA (with tree and plant courses at Pierce College, in the San Fernando Valley). That formal education gave me the confidence to open my own landscape design studio.