FOUNDER & PRINCIPAL DESIGNER

Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Nature, and plants in particular, has always played a big role in Elisa’s life. Living in a country where the weather allows people to enjoy the outdoors all-year-round, she became very interested in the beautiful array of textures, colors, forms, fragrances and shades of the Dominican flora. This was the beginning of her passion for beauty and design.

She trained at the Inchbald School of Design, successfully completing one of the most demanding and prestigious garden design programs in the world. As a certified Virginia Master Gardener, who has worked as a landscape designer in England and in Italy she creates unique, environment conscious, personalized garden designs that can be developed into artful, beautiful gardens. Her designs reflect influences from the modern and naturalistic garden designs of Europe and her belief in environmentally sound garden practices ensure creating gardens that support the local ecosystem.

BUSINESS OPERATIONS & SURVEYOR

Allen, a civil engineer with a 30-year career in airport planning after graduating with a bachelors and masters degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, is our Surveyor. He measures and documents the existing features of the garden area which he will then use to prepare a digital plan of the site. This includes existing structures, hardscape, trees and other relevant features that will be considered by the designers when preparing the landscape design.

Allen is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist and serves in several volunteer roles including Invasive Management Area (IMA) site leader for the Fairfax County Park Authority, trail maintainer for the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, and Board Member and Treasurer for the Friends of Wolf Trap who support the National Park Service in promoting the natural and historical aspects of Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts.

DESIGNER

Mollie is passionate about helping to connect people to their places, creating beautiful and meaningful outdoor spaces, and educating clients about how to maximize their positive impact on the environment through their gardens. Designing spaces that are accessible and customized for each client's needs, abilities, and interests is central to her design approach.

During her eight years in International Development, Mollie found herself increasingly turning to her small city garden as a creative outlet and source of joy, and decided to pursue a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Landscape Design at The George Washington University's College of Professional Studies. Following the completion of the program, she began designing independently for a range of clients, as well as learning the art of hand-pruning, and is thrilled to now be a part of the incredible design team at NPLD.

DESIGNER

Rasa is a plant lover and designer at heart. She had been enjoying gardening and creating beautiful places as a hobby for many years before she decided to make it her career. It all started with her growing vegetables and flowers in a small garden which later turned into a way of expression of her creativity as well as a passion of being closer to nature. That is where she draws her inspiration from - Nature. Nature is a perfect example of ideal ecosystems that are sustainable and breathtaking at the same time. Her goal in landscape design is interpreting that as much as possible and adding personal, modern and unique touches to it. 

Rasa earned her Associate Degree in Horticulture Technology with Landscape Design Specialization at Northern Virginia Community College. Through the program she experienced intense hands-on training and gained scientific knowledge in horticulture combined with artistic skills in design.

DESIGNER, SURVEYOR & MAINTENANCE COORDINATOR

Jeff inched his way toward landscape design as a second career by being a lifelong gardener, reading Doug Tallamy, living next to a park, becoming an Arlington Master Naturalist and finally taking the leap.  And though his decades-long nonprofit career taught him many things, nothing makes him happier than removing invasive plants and planting native ones as a Park Steward for Arlington County.  Always fascinated by water as an avid canoeist, he uses his certification as a Chesapeake Bay Landscaping Professional (Level 1 and 2 Design & Install) and apprenticeships with trained designers to corral stormwater and invigorate landscapes with beautifully functional plantings, rain gardens, and permeable hardscapes that please the human eye and benefit the land’s original animal inhabitants.

PLANT HUNTER & CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER

Holly is a firm believer that digging in the dirt is the best form of therapy. Prior to joining NPLD, she owned a tropical plant/gift shop so she is no stranger to having her hands in the dirt. Now she’s turned her passion for plants into hunting for native perennials, shrubs and trees for your installations.

Along with ordering your plants, Holly will schedule you for your first consultation, provide you with plant palettes during the design phase and will be on hand to organize the unloading of the truck and the placing of plants alongside the designers.

ADMINISTRATIVE OPERATIONS & COORDINATION

Alvaro, a Palma de Mallorca native, graduated in Industrial Engineering at the Universidad Politecnica de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. His engineering background is primarily in manufacturing, design and transportation. He is a former Arts Management Fellow at the Kennedy Center and Executive Director of Vocal Arts DC.

He has been a part of the NPLD family since early 2022 and currently handles administrative operations and project management.

GARDEN MAINTENANCE SCHEDULER, ADMINISTRATIVE OPERATIONS & SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

From Miami, Florida, as a former Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden intern, Aiden earned her Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, concentrating in Botanical Wildlife, from George Mason University in 2024. Aiden is very passionate about her work with plants, and is an assistant greenhouse manager on the side. She has worked in arboretums, herbariums, and gardens all throughout her educational career.

At NPLD, Aiden is the central communication point between the client, designers, and crew, with a variety of administrative work. She will be the one scheduling our crewmen and garden maintenance coordinators to visit your property for maintenance visits, as well as our design team to consult with you about potential designs for your property. Aiden also regularly updates our Seasonal Tips & News on the NPLD website, and shares site photos on our social media accounts.

FIELD INTERN & ADMIN ASSISTANT

Vaishnavi is passionate about native plants, the ecosystems they support, and ecological stewardship. Having grown up in Northern Virginia, she feels a deep sense of place with Virginia's flora and fauna and is pursuing a career in conservation to educate about the plant life that makes our region unique. From ecology walks foraging pawpaws on the Rappahannock in college, to prior experience with skilled native designers, she has fallen in love with native plants and their preservation and is excited to advance NPLD's good work, supporting all facets of the company as an intern.

In her free time, Vaishnavi forages (especially invasive edible species), does nature walks, and volunteers with multiple programs including Fairfax County's IMA (Invasive Area Management) and Earth Sangha's local-ecotype nursery.

FIELD INTERN & ASSISTANT DESIGNER

A Northern Virginia native, Kyle grew up playing along the banks of Difficult Run. For more than a decade, he worked as a sommelier and service director for one of Washington, D.C.'s Michelin-starred restaurants — a career that led him through many of Europe's greatest wine regions and brought him to understand a simple truth: the world's great wines are made by people who tend the land as stewards, ensuring it may be passed to future generations.

When COVID-19 disrupted the hospitality industry, curating native landscapes arose as a natural next step, allowing Kyle to get back to his Northern Virginia roots. He holds a certificate in landscape design from Emory University, is a certified Fairfax County Tree Saver, and has studied naturalistic planting design, influenced by the teachings our Piet Oudolf and Kelly D. Norris. His aim is to create landscapes that honor Virginia's natural heritage and insulate against the growing impacts of invasive species.

GARDEN MAGICIANS

Our crew are experienced, friendly professionals, who turn your plans into reality. Fredy and Wilson lead our team of Noe, Antonio, Alexander, Moises, Amilcar and Kevin.