The People Plant Connection – Nature and Human Health

Arleen Ferrara began her love affair with California native plants when she did the Master Gardener program at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden in the late 90’s.  At the time she was pregnant with her first child and by the time her third one was in pre-school she was ready to start her own landscape design business.  Santa Monica had started offering generous grants to homeowners willing to replace their water thirsty lawns with sustainable landscapes.  This fit right in with Arleen’s approach to design and her desire to help spread the gospel about the beauty of California natives.  Satori Garden Design has been going strong now for 15 years and during that time Arleen has served on the board of the Los Angeles chapter of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers and become certified in permaculture.  Arleen is a G3 Watershed Wise Certified Professional and Qualified Instructor.

Arleen put her garden guru skills to work at the schools her children attended and it was in doing so that she came to realize how powerful gardening was for children especially those struggling with developmental delays or social challenges.  There must be something to this she thought, and a little research led her to the educational training in horticultural therapy through Colorado State University.  In 2013 Arleen began an internship in horticultural therapy at Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services with the goal of becoming a registered practitioner.  During her time at Vista Arleen has designed and developed two large gardens and the horticultural therapy program that serves children and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.