Feature Magazine Articles

Montecito Magazine
Spring/Summer, 2010
Riven Rock's Historic Workshop
The Stonemason's Cottage pg 20
Story By George Yatchinsin
Art by Jeremy Harper

"While clearing out years of overgrowth, landscape designer Alida Aldrich discovered these carved stone corbels that she incorporated into the garden design."
"Once she and her team began, they discovered a wonderful surprise. "We really didn't know what we had until we did extensive clearing of masses of overgrown ivy," says Aldrich. That's when we found all those wonderful 'tossed-out' carved stone pieces left over from when the house was actually the stonemasons' workshop." Baumes relates, If a stonemason had made a mistake on a carving, he just tossed it out. We retrieved what we could find and set them around as part of the history of the property."

Those carvings now adorn gardens that won the 1996 Annual Montecito Beautification Award.

"Designwise, we had a true collaborative effort," Aldrich recalls. "We worked out every design detail - rerouting the driveway, screening the entry, building the new front patio, the patio off the family room, the patio on the second terrace, the fruit trees and rose garden on the third terrace, with water features throughout. I used many oak compatible plants, Mediterranean plants, but also installed perennials and bulbs for seasonal color,."

Steven Gundry is particularly pleased with the results of the landscap­ing, and not just for aesthetic reasons. "McCormick wanted his estate to be a botanic garden," he says, "and within this couple of square miles you're in your own botanic garden. Riven Rock is a really unique area of Montecito, which is a unique area itself.

 

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Griffin and Crane Home Magazine, Summer 2010

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Sunset Magazine feature article May 2009

Courtyard retreat:Serenity reigns inside this garden in Montecito, Calif. See the details that make it work.

Water Music - A small recirculating fountain adds the tranquil sound of water to the courtyard without overwhelming the space.

Design by Alida Aldrich, the Aldrich Company

 

 

 

 

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Sunset Magazine feature article January 2008

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Sunset Magazine feature article June 2007

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The Aldrich Company

alida@aldrich-landscapes.com