About Us

About the Contented Violet

The Contented Violet was founded in 2024 by a Mom and part-time academic. 

Allison grew up in her parents' garden, and continued to garden as an adult-- taking over her Chicago landlord's yard when she was a renter, and at her two subsequent homes in Wauwatosa. She ignored multiple career tests as a child telling her to become a landscape designer, instead pursuing a PhD in history. After years of helping acquaintances with their yards, working on her kids' school gardens, and volunteering in invasive plant removal, she has returned to her original love of digging in the dirt as much as possible.

While gardening has a long history of awesome and passionate educators in public gardens, community extensions, and commercial stores, Allison found that there was a missing piece in getting people gardening-- the fact that it's hard to take information out there and apply it in specific circumstances in a timely and individualized way. Her goal is to help people do the things they want to do on their timeline and budget, meeting people at their level of expertise, and helping them take small steps into the world of tending plants.

Allison also brings a love and appreciate of native species gardening to The Contented Violet, helping people understand how and why people can and should bring a level of environmental stewardship to their yards through the practice of planting species native to the upper Midwest, removing invasive plants, and minimizing the use of herbicides.