MagazineLandscape Architect Sarita Jaccard's Dreamy Outdoor Spaces Put Sustainability FirstThe L.A.-based rising talent is pushing native species, local materials, and gray-water irrigation systems

By Hannah Martin

July 1, 2022

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Sarita Jaccard, with table and chairs from Badia Designs, on the grounds of a client’s 1925 home in L.A. 

Photo: Pia Riverola 

“When I arrived it was all grass,” says landscape designer Sarita Jaccard, describing her client’s 1925 home in Los Angeles. Today the plot (pictured) teems with native plants, among them milkweed, salvia, and California wild rose. “We wanted to bring it to life with colors and attract bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies.” The Argentinean American, a creative pollinator herself, got her start in 2017, working for the L.A. landscape guru Art Luna after cold-emailing him. About two years later, she launched her own office, now made up entirely of Spanish speakers. 

Projects have been bountiful ever since, ranging from the West Adams home of artist Henry Taylor to the garden and swimming pool for actress and comedian Jessica Williams. Meanwhile, on the grounds of a Paul R. Williams house in Hollywood, Jaccard is sensitively restoring the outdoor spaces, planting a large olive tree and loads of California varieties. Thanks to a degree from NYU in environmental studies, she is attuned to the ecological impact of each job, favoring native, climate- appropriate plants that require less water, choosing locally sourced materials, and urging her clients to consider gray-water irrigation systems. “I look at every project as a story that existed before me,” explains Jaccard, who is also mindful to acknowledge the role of Native people as the original stewards of American land. “What do I want to add to this story?” saritajaccarddesign.com