Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Francesca Corra. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Francesca , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you share a customer success story with us?

It is especially gratifying to me when a garden that I have designed dramatically changes my clients’ lifestyle. One garden in particular was finished in 2019. The back yard was completely unusable, full of bamboo that had run amok , weed infested and junk piled up everywhere. We created a very colorful garden with a large covered dining terrace and a fire pit area. She appreciated everything about it from the moment it was completed. Then Covid hit and her appreciation skyrocketed. The garden became a refuge where she was able to gather with family and friends. She is a very social person and having a garden where she could socialize was a game changer for her.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have always been a creative person. My mother taught me how to sew at a young age and by the time I was 11 years old, I was making a lot of my own clothes. She was also a great cook, forever trying new recipes to mix into the lineup of traditional Italian dishes she made. From my father, who was a finish carpenter, I got an appreciation of quality workmanship and creative problem solving. There was nothing that man could not fix.

Landscape design is actually my third career. I was a language major in college and my first job was working for Columbia Pictures in the Spanish film and television division in New York. I was transferred to Los Angeles to help start up a Spanish television station here. When the station closed down, I fell into a career as a corporate flight attendant that lasted me for the next 24 years. I always had an incredible travel bug and have to admit that, even though I have been “grounded”, I still will never feel like I have seen and experienced enough. While traveling, aside from eating, shopping, museum hopping and golfing, I started visiting gardens. Exploring different regions and cultures can expose you to diverse landscapes, architectural styles, and garden traditions. Traveling allows you to gather inspiration from a wide range of sources and incorporate unique elements into your designs. At the time I thought I was just being inspired for my own garden .
The first thing I found myself doing upon returning home from a trip, even if it was 3:00 in the morning, was visiting with all my plants. As things started changing in that world and I found myself wanting to do something else with my life, I thought I would try taking some classes at Pierce, the local community college. From the first class I took, which was Soil Science, I was hooked and knew what I wanted to do next.
The crazy thing is that a lot of what I was learning in school was rapidly becoming outdated as California started experiencing drought. I started my own business in 2008, which was the worst possible time economically.
Fortunately for me, one of my instructors introduced me to APLD, the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. So much of what I am as a designer, I owe to APLD. It is a community that welcomed me in with open arms and complete generosity of spirit. I found myself amongst a like minded community of designers that was thirsty for knowledge and passionate about nature, the environment and new technology. And, of course…Plants, plants, and more plants!!

I love being outside in my own garden and pretty much would love for all my clients to feel the same way about the gardens I create for them. We are so lucky to live in this wonderful climate that is Southern California. By thoughtfully tailoring each garden to the desires of the homeowner, my goal is to always go even beyond what they thought possible and design inviting and functional outdoor spaces that cater to cooking, dining, and all-around outdoor enjoyment. I had a client once with a rather large property. We removed all the grass and I created a series of paths throughout the whole area. When showing her the design I explained that they could stroll around with a glass of wine and explore all the different garden beds, fountain and seating areas. She said to me “Oh, we don’t walk around the garden”. I said that even thought they haven’t because all it was was a giant expanse of grass, wouldn’t it be nice if they could? She had a pre conception and I was able to show her a whole new world of possibility. Strolling has been since then a part of her daily life, as well as enjoying the wildlife that has come into the garden.

At the same time, it is important to me to design responsibly. That means designing according to the principles of the Watershed Approach which means using climate appropriate plants, creating healthy soil to be able to capture and retain rainwater and provide nutrients to the plants without using chemicals. I am also very much opposed to installing artificial turf. I found myself recently too far into a project when the client decided they wanted to install it in a section of the yard. I went along with it because it is their home and that is what was going to make them happy. But I don’t want to do it again. So, if you want artificial turf, I am not your gal.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When I decided that I didn’t want to fly anymore, I was trying to figure out what was next. I have a few friends that I walk with on weekends and we explored different ideas. Two of us were flight attendants and so used to sourcing and preparing high quality food and two were in the catering business. So naturally, most of the ideas revolved around food and hospitality. One of the challenges was to change careers while not interrupting the income stream and not needing much start up capital. It is important to say that one of the reasons I didn’t want to fly anymore was because, after being single for over 20 years, I finally found the man of my dreams. At the time I was doing mostly international flying and being gone for about a month at a time, maybe a week off, then back out for another month. I very much wanted this relationship to work and being gone like that didn’t feel like a good recipe to me. I married this man and he was incredibly supportive of my career change, both emotionally and financially. I am not sure that I could have made the switch without him. I like to think I would have because I think it is important to love what you are doing. When you stop loving it, it is time to reinvent yourself. I have done that two times. Who know….there may be one more reinvention left in me some day.

Could you share if there have been any missed opportunities in your career?

What is really crazy about this is that my father was born and raised on a farm in northern Italy. When we were growing up he kept a vegetable garden, as did his sister, my Aunt Mary, who lived next door to us. I didn’t ever have an interest in helping with the gardening. I would have had such a head start if I had!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dirtdivadesigns.com
• Instagram: francescacorraddd
• Linkedin: x
• Other: https://www.houzz.com/pro/fcorra/dirt-diva-designs