Luxe checks in with a cast of creatives pushing innovation and equity to the forefront of design. Meet The Curator, The Innovator, The Reconceivers, The Activist, The Botanist, and The Storytellers.
THE BOTANIST | JESSICA VIOLA, VIOLA GARDENS
A promise to “seek biological over technical solutions” nests at the core of Jessica Viola’s coveted approach to the garden.
Certified in ecological and in permaculture design, Viola (one of just a handful of licensed female landscape contractors in the state of California) cut her teeth rehabilitating lawns into gardens in the 2011 California drought. Those regenerative principles have propelled her business since.
Whether sculpting brims and swells in the landscape to better harness rainfall, or planting strategically for erosion control, fire resistance and landscape nourishment, Viola’s bottom line is embracing the intrinsic characteristics of each property, fostering the age-old relationships between people, flora and fauna amidst a changing climate.
In this way, tackling the crisis becomes a creative exercise: “When you’re coming at things from a place of fear, you block what’s possible,” says Viola. “Instead of trying to solve all the worlds’ problems, I’m facilitating conditions for more awareness—and going one garden at a time.”
