Sisters of Social service

Landscape Design 5

Planting Design

In this course, plants and plant groups are studied as basic design elements in the landscape. Instruction emphasizes the arrangement of plant materials for defining, sequencing, and articulating space. Ecological and cultural contexts are examined as determinants for sharply focused design concepts.

Instructor

PAMELA BRIEF

Project Location

SISTERS OF SOCIAL SERVICE

ENCINO/CA

Project 1: Sister of Social Service

SCASLA Achievement Award

Good graphics, nice enlargements, and good use of callout style. Companion plants with chill hours are great. Very impressive, effective, and professional. Design is beautiful.

Healing and Nourishing Garden Planting Plan 

Student: Callie Ham

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Malibu Creek State Park Visitor’s Center

Student: Holly Cory

Healing garden at the Sisters of Social Service Retreat Center honors the site’s legacy of compassion, justice, and care for women, children, and the greater community. Rooted in the Benedictine tradition and inspired by the Universal elements of AIR, WATER, EARTH, FIRE and SPACE, the design invites both public and private reflection through a series of interconnected spaces.

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SCASLA Honorable Mention

Thoughtful, thorough work with proper photo credits, a lovely knot garden at the center, a nice key plan, and perspectives that convey scale. Clear vision and lots of care.

An Extravagant Welcome Plant Redesign for the Holy Spirit Retreat Center 

Student: Kristin Byrd

The big idea of my garden is to extend an extravagant welcome to anyone who visits, to extend hospitality with a nourishing garden and place for reflection and recovery with healing gardens and water features. The gardens are a place of abundance, with healthy foods grown on site to be enjoyed during community gatherings. The gardens rely primarily on California native plants to create an inviting setting for both people, birds, and wildlife.

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Sisters of Social Service Planting Plan

Student: Nikki Rinehart

Healing the earth through Community, Resiliency, and Habitat for all.

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HOLY SPIRIT RETREAT CENTER

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION, ECOLOGICAL RESPONSIBILITY & EMPOWERING WOMEN. 

Student: Patrese Winter

A landscape of spiritual reflection and ecological responsibility that empowers women, fosters healing spaces, celebrates edible abundance, and restores biodiversity for a sustainable future.

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SCASLA Achievement Award

A beautiful—if somewhat esoteric—big idea, presented with a highly effective opening spread: tree knowledge, sizing, and usage that go beyond blooms show real planting-design understanding. The tight palette, clean circles aligned to graphs, and professional, guidebook-quality pages make the set feel “done for us” in the best way—concise and compelling. Groupings are strong, 1/4″ plant callouts are helpful. The section is charming. The three maintenance sheets are a smart inclusion, and overall the package invites the viewer to read.

Sisters of Social Service Planting Plan

Student: Tate Perrine

Redesign a portion of Sisters of Social Service site. Consider plant palette and plant placement.

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 SISTERS OF SOCIAL SERVICE

A HEALING JOURNEY THROUGH NATURE

Student: Victoria Stover

This landscape design offers a healing journey through nature to visitors and residents of The Sisters of Social Service.

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SCASLA Excellence Award

Clear, well-read site analysis and a thorough, conceptual approach beyond simple bubbles, supported by beautiful imagery and effective existing photos. The narrative from photo to plants to plan works, and the renderings—especially the immersive perspective—bring us into the space; overall graphics are engaging and a pleasure to interact with. Lots of work here—creative, pretty, and graphically strong.

Sisters of Social Service Planting Plan

Student: Zoe Marans

Inspired by the Sisters of Social Service’s commitment to welcoming diverse people, this design uses the universe as a guiding theme to convey unity, acceptance, and spiritual healing, universal human challenges and experiences. The Celestial Garden is composed of three distinct areas: the Zen gardens for quiet contemplation in which all plants have a secondary purpose either culturally, medicinally, or edible; the Water gardens to promote energy and vitality among visitors while providing habitat for local wildlife; and the Nourishing gardens with citrus groves, raised beds, espaliered walkways, and an herbal tea meadow, which offer a therapeutic gardening experience and providing food for residents and visitors.

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