We’re proud to let you know about a review we just received on Houzz!
Nearly a decade ago, Alida designed and installed a lovely garden for our client living in Santa Barbara. Some weeks ago, she called looking for a 'springtime refresh’ to the original plantings. She was so happy with the result that she wrote a glowing review.
See this, and other complimentary, 5-star Houzz reviews - plus stunning photos of our landscape designs in Montecito, Hope Ranch, and Santa Barbara by clicking here!

It’s time to pull out the picnic basket, slip into your favorite pair of shorts, roll down the windows of the car, and head out for the beach, the park, or a mountain hike (speaking of which, the generous volunteers at the Montecito Trails Foundation publish a detailed map of our local mountain trails).

This year we were able to gather for 4th of July BBQs, hold badminton or croquet tournaments (hopefully accompanied by a crisp Rosé wine), even take day trips to Santa Ynez or Ojai Valley. Maybe rent kayaks and paddle around Santa Cruz Island or take a gander at the Postal Memorial Rose Garden across from the Mission that’s in full bloom now – a must see. Or… simply relax and do absolutely nothing. It’s summertime, summertime, sum-sum, summertime, summertiiiimme . . .

In each of these four seasonal columns, I have been touting the virtues of nature. A few months ago, I wrote about how plants play to our five senses. That’s hardly a start of all they do for us. We can be thankful for the fact that trees and plants are the basis for all life on earth by exchanging carbon monoxide for oxygen. Flora and fauna have been on the planet for more than 420 million years. We, on the other hand, have been stumbling around terra firma for a mere four million years. That alone is due our respect.

​Trees and plants are the source of so many offerings which benefit us: of course, food, plus industry (timber, fossil fuels, biofuels), chemicals, medicines, science research, mythology, religion, tourism and, not to be overlooked,
our love of gardening. Trees don’t stop growing. Above ground their trunks grow in girth (replacing old bark with fresh layers). As they get taller and taller, they send out limbs with leaves reaching for sunlight (which, through photosynthesis, they convert into sugar as food).

Trees are also communal creatures. They communicate with nearby trees by emitting chemicals alerting the others to life-threatening diseases or pests. Those
trees then alter their own chemistry to combat the invaders. Trees will open space to allow their children to receive needed sunlight. They share nutrients and water through their miraculous, fungus-fed root networks. Sometimes when I’m walking by a stand of oaks, I think they must be laughing their leaves off knowing how puny and self-serving my vascular system is compared to their system, which spreads across acres and acres to care for one another.

Richard Powers received a Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Overstory, which opened my mind, heart, and gratitude to the plant world. It’s also a compelling mystery story that you might want to pick up for a summer’s read. After compiling and analyzing a database of DNA from sites around the world, researchers estimate that there are a staggering 1 trillion species on Earth — that’s not even counting microorganisms. That’s more species than there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

By the numbers, we humans are insignificant, yet we’re vital to our species’ survival. For billions of years, the planet has always adapted to global catastrophes. We’re the fragile ones. To paraphrase Carl Sagan: Here we are on this exceptional blue planet, circling a rather small star, in a rather ordinary galaxy, in what may be one of many universes — what are the chances?

Summer Garden Tips
It doesn’t take a second to see the difference between a well-tended garden verses neglected ones. Garden maintenance is not “outdoor housekeeping.” While you might count the minutes on an exercise machine, no one counts the minutes in the garden. It can be your quiet time to look after those living beings you share your home with.
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Pest Patrol
Insect pests, animal pests, plant diseases, weed control — it’s an ongoing struggle between using organic cures or chemical pesticides. My advice: Refer to the guide in Sunset Western Garden book — they’ve got it down. Sunset’s book will also advise you about which plants need summer fertilizer now, and which are to be left alone.
If you hurry it’s not too late to plant summer herbs, vegetables, and your cutting garden. Deadheading spent flowers make room for fresh shoots to set new flowers. 

​A very drab and lifeless entry drive is enlivened with flowering shrubs and perennials. A Redbud tree in full bloom contrasts beautifully as a focal point against the Indigo Salvias.

Spring seems to be everyone’s favorite season. Temperatures start to rise, Daylight Saving Time begins, and the Vernal Equinox (March 21) brings us more natural
Vitamin D. Wildlife keeps its watchful eyes on newborns; leaves appear on deciduous trees, absorbing the carbon dioxide; and flowers and bulbs start to bloom everywhere!

If you don’t already have one, it’s time to buy The Sunset Western Garden Book, the must-have reference book for Santa Barbara garden enthusiasts and professionals. After 25-plus years in the industry, I still refer to it for answers.

If you’re looking for a different, garden-related book, pick up The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. This non-fiction murder mystery centers on the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago and goes into fascinating detail about how Frederick Law Olmsted helped engineer and supervise the plantings of some about 600 acres on the fairgrounds.

Today, Olmstead is recognized as the father of American landscape architecture, who not only laid out the World’s Fair but designed New York City’s Central Park.
I turn to his ideas and philosophies to guide me whenever I begin a new project.

Prepare for Drought
Summer will surely follow spring and bring its own seasonal offerings. Due to the small amounts of rain we experienced last fall and winter, experts predict that we’ll have a serious drought this summer. We need to prepare our garden now for the summer season. Accessing enough affordable water has become a problem in the region. In general, irrigating our landscapes and gardens is a major use of residential
water in Santa Barbara, with green lawns being the thirstiest plant of all.

I’d like to propose a soul-saving alternative to some of the lawns and planting beds in your garden: a pollinator garden! As you may have read, the populations of birds, bees, and butterflies have been nearly decimated by man’s use of chemical pesticides and the loss of natural habitats. There are specific plants that these delicate, winged creatures need and desire, plants that are drought-tolerant and well-suited to our Mediterranean climate zone. These three different species thrive on many of the same plants. Of course, milkweed is a favorite of the butterflies, while the bees and the birds (especially hummingbirds) like to visit and collect pollen from salvia, penstemon, cosmos, and lavender. There are a lot of other flowering plants they love, too. Just search on the web for “pollinator plants.”

If space is a concern, then pots are the answer. A pollinator garden can be a do-good family project that will pay you back with hours of viewing pleasure. You can find many other native, pollinator-friendly plants on a stroll through our esteemed Santa Barbara Botanic Garden In the past, the garden has held an annual Spring Native Plant Sale, but this year consider combining a nature walk there with a buying trip. For the adventurous, drive to Figueroa Mountain in Santa Ynez. You should find a spectacular display of wildflowers this spring.

There’s another concern looming this summer: the potential for fires. Those of you with properties on the hillsides can find excellent information about how to create defensible space zones around your home; choose fire-resistant plants; and ember-resistant building materials at www.montecitofire.com.

Doomsday tales aside, fate has brought us to this extraordinary spot on the planet. Treat yourself by getting outside and enjoying these glorious days.

Seasonal Tips:
– It’s time to fertilize the garden. I use a general-purpose fertilizer mix
10-10-10 (nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium). You may have plants that require a more complex mix;
– Plant your herbs and vegetables now for fresh, yummy, dishes in the summer;
– Update the times set on your automated irrigation system.

Later, I’ll write about how to tackle your garden maintenance patrol.

If you’re a garden hobbyist (or would like to be), I’ll be teaching a course on the Essential Principles of Landscape Design through SB City College (online via Zoom) beginning May 22 for five weeks. The classes are two hours each week. In early April, you can find out more specifics by clicking here.

Article by By Sarah Ettman-Sterner from Montecito Neighbors July 2020 issue
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​In 1744, Englishman Tommy Thumb wrote Pretty Song Book, which included this charming nursery rhyme familiar to us all:

Mistress Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With Silver Bells, And Cockle Shells,
And so my garden grows.

If you’re wondering how the grounds around your home should grow, you can rely on Alida Aldrich for answers and action. She is your garden’s best friend! Working in unison with a dedicated team she calls her “family” -Montecito designer/builder Peer Knust and landscape contractor Wyatt Talley - she is successful in beautifying natural surroundings to help make a property look and feel like home. Photos of her
work speak to her extraordinary talent.

The Aldrich Company, her landscape design firm (aldrich-landscapes.com), is founded on her knowledge and application of essential principles: consideration for the existing landscape, adherence to the precedent set by a home’s architectural style, the concept that form follows function, a focus on highlighting the five senses and establishing sustainability, in terms of green practices as well as standing the test of time.

Raised in Hancock Park, one of Los Angeles’ old established neighborhoods, Alida grew up surrounded by large estates filled with majestic gardens not that different
from the properties she designs in our area. She says she developed her sense of art from her father, film director Robert Aldrich, whose studio was responsible for such classics as The Dirty Dozen and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.

​Alida says, “I’m adamant that landscape design be seen as an art form, like painting, music, literature; you have to learn your craft.” To that end, she studied landscape design at UCLA, a field that integrated her artistic aesthetic, interest in architecture and keen sense of attention to detail. A career move brought Alida to Santa Barbara; she worked at the El Encanto Hotel and the San Ysidro Ranch.

There is no doubt that these properties, known for their stunning gardens, inspired her to take on a project that set her on course to establish her landscape design practice. “I had a friend who bought Riven Rock’s original stonemason’s cottage. It was once part of the 87-acre McCormick Estate, located at the confluence of Cold Springs and Hot Springs creeks and featured a large, two-story Mission Revival-style house of stone. He asked me to help design the gardens, which were completely overgrown. We’d remove vegetation and come across beautiful stone sculpture works that were cast off as “seconds.” We re-purposed them as pieces of art throughout the gardens. The beauty of it was creating landscaping to incorporate the magnificent oak trees that Riven Rock is noted for and make it sought after real estate. The property went from abandoned acreage with a stone workshop to a showpiece; an elegant home that people raved about. Alida’s hard work paid off, earning her a coveted Montecito Beautification award that year. “At the time, I didn’t realize the importance of it and how it would shape the next phase of my career.”

​Alida’s work in Riven Rock didn’t end there. She went on to reimagine the gardens surrounding the McCormick Estate’s “theatre,” which had been transformed into a separate residence many years ago. The owners entrusted her with the goal of creating a larger outdoor space in the rear garden for entertaining guests.
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These accomplishments led Alida to work on George Washington Smith’s self-designed residence, which also housed the office for his architecture practice. She was tasked with reinvigorating the grounds of “Casa Del Greco,” contributing to the property’s reputation as a shining example of Smith’s Spanish Colonial Revival style. Since the estate’s main house and guest house were circa 1924, Alida spent time doing research to understand the original “feel” and conceptual design for the estate. She studied archival photographs at UCSB and applied her findings into the landscape blueprints. When reflecting on the results, Alida says it was “Definitely one of my proudest feathers in my cap!”

While she has worked on a number of properties with Spanish Colonial homes, Alida points out that, “I don’t have a particular style that I stick with. I’ve done historical Montecito estates, traditional gardens Mediterranean gardens, seaside gardens, tropical gardens and contemporary gardens. I borrow shapes, colors and material used in the architecture of the home - they need to match - and apply them in the plant selections and hardscapes. I incorporate basic principles of landscape design: line, form, texture, color, visual weight, proportion - all to give the homeowner a sense of place.”

​The Aldrich Company has won awards from Santa Barbara Beautiful, Montecito Beautiful and Houzz, and has been featured in Sunset, the Los Angeles Times and on social media (Pinterest, Houzz, Facebook, Instagram). For Alida, however, no project is too small or modest for her to undertake. She has been known to work pro bono as a way to give back to the community she loves. “As a Montecito local who lives along Romero Creek, I, too, had to evacuate after the 1/8 Debris Flow in 2018. I was out of my cottage for 3+ months. Upon returning, I volunteered my design/installation services to renovate the two front cottage gardens on my property that were completely wiped out.” Another way Alida is making herself accessible to local residents is by teaching an upcoming fall course on the “Principles of Landscape Design” presented by Santa Barbara City College Center for Lifelong Learning. She says she’s looking forward to providing people with proven ways to create the landscape of their dreams.

Alida says her vision and passion - the fruit of her labor - are landscape projects that represent a total portrait that embraces respect for the land, local environments, ecosystems and interactions between native flora and fauna. She points out that, “The plants, birds, animals and insects are not just there for our pleasure; we share the planet with them. The whole picture is important for a sustainable garden.” She carefully selects plantings and hardscapes based on timeless appeal and longevity. She recalls “A number of clients have kept me on for overseeing quality control maintenance by conducting monthly walk throughs with gardeners. This is key for protecting the look and feel of the design. Hands-on walk throughs on a regular basis are paramount for guaranteeing integrity and sustainability.

​I did a project in Montecito 17 years ago and I’ve been called back to do a refresh. This happens often, a compliment and testament to the quality of the work and great client relationships.” Alida says that her life and work are defined by her reverence for the natural world and her interactions with people. She shares that, “I’m protective of relationships with people here; we are neighbors, some clients become friends. Montecito is a is a small place. When I interview with a client, I know I’m interviewing them as well as them interviewing me. There must be a mutual meeting of the minds between designer and client. Being entrusted to care for their land is something I take very seriously. I have built a team of trusted craftsmen that understand, interpret and implement the client’s vision represented in my design.
I hold them in high regard; I can’t ask for a better professional family with which to work.”

When it’s time to relax, Alida says, “Because of how I grew up, I know all about movies; I like them all and enjoy watching them. I’m a big walker. Where else can you go for a hike in the mountains in the AM and sit on the beach at lunch? Montecito is quite an extraordinary place. There is something unique about the Fung Shui between the peaks and the sea. I’ve lived in my cottage for nearly 20 years. I love the scale, the oaks, the creek, the frogs, the rural feeling. Every day I focus on how unusual and special Montecito is. It’s peaceful, alive and vibrant; it’s a blessing.”